This page was created to keep you up to date on current news on the health & fitness market. From recent medical and statistic studies and diseases, to current supplements and helpful hints. Information on this page has come from a variety of different magazines, seminars, classes, and medical documentation.

Low carb-bars, or food supplement bars have been misinforming you. Besides calories you get from fats, protein and carbohydrates, calories are also found in Glycerol. Glycerol is not a carbohydrate, although it contains 4.32 calories per gram (fat = 9 calories per gram, carbohydrates & protein both contain 4 calories per gram). These bars however do not state that the Glycerol is included in the carbohydrate gram or calorie count, the bar may even say "This product contains Glycerol", but doesn't state how much. The FDA is cracking down on these bars and have sent many of their company Presidents warning letters to either include the Gycerol count in the carbohydrate count on their bar labels, or to show a seperate count for the Gycerol content. Here are a few of the products that have been reported and letters were sent from the FDA to advise/warn them of future labeling, or risk seizure and/or injunctions of their production:
ATKINS NUTRITIONAL BARS
RICHARDSON LABS CARB SOLUTIONS
RICHARDSON LABS - MET-RX BARS
EAS CARB CONTROL BARS
OPTIMUM PROTEIN DIET BARS
PREMIER & PREMIER 8 BARS
TWIN LABS PROTEIN FUEL BARS
WORLDWIDE SPORTS NUTRITION BARS
UNIVERSAL - DOCTOR'S DIET LOW CARB BAR
Don't result to bars to make-up your diet, eat more frequent healthy meals of 250 to 350 calories per serving no less than 2 hours apart. Try to consume at least 5 to 6 meals a day to speed up your metabolism.

Peanuts, are actually legumes, like beans and peas, and as most also believe, on the contrary, peanuts and peanut butter, eaten in moderation won't make you fat. Along with healthy fat, peanuts also contain protein, vitamin E, fiber, folate, copper and zinc, as well as important cancer-fighting phytochemicals. When selecting nuts, opt for the dry-roasted varieties; as for peanut butter, the all-natural brands are best.

Viagra has caused some men to suffer what are essentially small strokes in their eyes after using this drug. The stroke damaged their optic nerve causing some permanent vision loss. Doctors don't have the evidence yet that the strokes were caused by Viagra, but in three out of four cases documented, the damage occurred after the first or second time the men ever took the medication, and each time, the optical strokes occurred within an hour or two of taking the drug.

Pain Relievers have been used by many to overcome the soreness of a hard workout. Well you may want to reconsider. Researchers have found that common pain relievers had no effect on exercise-induced muscle pain, even by using aspirin, codiene and acetaminophen. Time is the only pain reliever for such soreness, a sign that you've worked your muscles hard enough to cause microtrauma to the fibers.

Slacking off of the gym due to a newborn in the family? Well fear not, here a few tips to get you back into the game:

Abs - Lay your child down on the floor between your legs or set him in a car seat, and perform basic crunches while playing a game of peekaboo.
Quads and Hamstrings - Wear a baby knapsack across the front of you, and with the little one in place, put a chair behind you. Slowly squat down to the seat then stand back up.
Calves - With the little fella in the front knapsack again, find a wall you can hold on to or lean on. Keep your legs straight, but don't lock your knees. Then slowly rise up on your toes and return back down.

Top five professinoals most likely to crave fattening foods:
1. Doctor
2. Lawyer
3. Dentist
4. Corporate Trainer
5. Chef

Manners in the gym are not necesarily required, although you will make less enemies there if you follow these simple tips:

1. Wipe it - Bring a towel to wipe off any equipment after your dopne using it.
2. Wait your turn - Ask before working on a piece of equipment if someone is by it. If there are two people already at that station, try using another machine or come back later.
3. Always give a spot - If asked, accomodate. Sooner or later, you'll be asking the same.
4. Beg pardon - Weight rooms are often cramped spaces. If you bump somebody, say "Excuse me" to avoid any testosterone-fueled incidents.
5. No Spitting - The water fountain is for drinking, not spitting. Nobody wants to see a loogie when leaning over for a sip of water. If you have to spit or rinse your mouth out, go to the restroom.
6. Rack 'em - Unless the next person asks you not to, strip your weights. If your strong enough to squat 315, you're strong enough to put the plates back.

Comfort foods are usually foods we eat when confronted with stress, depression or anxiety. Here is where brain chemistry plays a big role. Reasons why you may binge or eat excessive weight gaining foods are:

1. More serotonin is produced in the brain from the tranquilizing effect of consumption of carb-, sweet-, or fat-oriented foods.
2. If while you were growing up, your mother gave you cookies and milk when you were down, then when something bad happens to you as an adult you may go back to cookies and milk, because those were the comfort foods you were raised with.
3. Anxious energy can cause crave crunchy food consumpton such as chips, crackers, popcorn or pretzels, during times of stress. It's often because you have this anxious energy, and you need to be doing something with your mouth.

You should learn to make better choices with your food selection at times of stress, depression and anxiety. By following a regular low fat diet and understanding the facts and reasons behind your diet, this will tend to give you more will-power in binging at these times.

Warning! Certain cold medicines have been taken off the market by the FDA due to an ingredient phenylpropanolamine (PPA) which is a mild chemical that relieves nasal congestion by constricting blood vessels in the nose. PPA products cause hemorrhagic strokes (bleeding in the brain) among young women (ages 17-45). These are a few of the products that are banned whose companies should hopefully have the chemical re-made by January 2001 sometime (check with your local drug store for new releases of corrected products containing the ingredient PPA):
Alka-Seltzer
Dimetapp
Triaminic
Robitussin CF
Tavist D
Dexatrim
Acutrim
Here are some alternative medicines that don't have PPA, although they carry a broken down chemical that if take enough of can have the same effect as PPA:
Sudafed Cold & Allergy
Children's Tylenol Cold Suspension
Liquid Drixoral Cold & Allergy
Motrin Cold & Flu
Dimetapp Pediatric
Alka-Seltzer Liquid Gels

Pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children should not eat four types of fish - shark, swordfish, king mackeral and tilefish. These fish contain enough mercury to hurt an unborn baby's developing brain, warned by the FDA. Although not as high in mercury as the other four, tuna is next in line to be added to the list. Don't worry about a fish entree last night though, it's the build-up of mercury and not a single dose. Pregnant women can eat up to 12 ounces of any other cooked fish a week - from canned tuna (with a limit to 7 ounces a week) to shell fish to smaller ocean fish. The larger the fish, the more methylmercury that was absorbed from water and smaller fish that were eaten. When ingested in pregnancy, mercury can damage the central nervous system, leaving babies with slower cognitive development. Up to 60,000 children a year may be affected.

Cell phones expose your head to high levels of electromagnetic radiation (not known if harmful yet), as to cell phone/headset combinations, which dramtically reduce that exposure. Hand held cell phones also slow drivers' reaction time by up to a second and increase accidents ninefold. New studies also show that mobile phones could jeopardize internal organs by causing blood cells to leak oxygen carrying hemoglobin, which can lead to heart disease and kidney stones.

Snorers are 50% more likely to have high blood pressure and be at greater risk of heart disease and stoke than silent sleepers. You may reduce snoring, and lower your blood pressure by sleeping on your side, using a large pillow, avoiding alcohol, or losing weight.

Beer Drinkers have been shown to have reduced risk of heart attacks by 60% by drinking two to four drinks a week. Further reports show that moderate drinkers have 20% less chance of a stroke than nondrinkers.

Water neglect could be a cause to your binging. Sometimes when your body is dehydrated, it may send hunger signals when all you really need is a little H20. Your muscles are 70% water and they can't work for an extended period of time without proper hydration. Water helps your body digest food and keeps your metabolism in check, which are two functions that determine the amount of fat that your body will burn.

Mood swings can be caused by the foods your eating. High glycemic carbohydrates; pasta, breads, cereals, snacks and sweets can raise your mood by increasing your blood sugar levels. This can then cause an immediate drop, which can make you grumpy and irritable. Watch your food source and portion intakes.

Women are stronger than men if you break it down to the fibers. The muscle fibers in women run straight as opposed to the peak that men have in theirs, and we all know that a straight movement is stronger than a curved or "peaked" one.

Ejaculation helps clear the bacteria from the prostate claims one doctor. In a recent study, men who masturbated twice a week had much greater relief from symptoms than those that only masturbated once a week.

Allergy-free condoms could soon be on the way. Latex causes allergic reactions from proteins that sometimes cause itchiness and even potentially fatal anaphylactic shock. This product may soon be replaced by the guayule plant which is free of these proteins.

Smokers are continually having numbers added to their ranks. Worldwide a currnet 1.1 billion people smoke cigarettes everyday.

Sex facts that may help your relationship.
1.) The most sexually satisfied couples are those in which the woman initiates hanky-panky at least occasionally.
2.) The average man has sex 79 times a year or 1.5 times a week.
3.) Of Americans over 18, 15% say that they have had only one sexual partner, and 28% said they have had two to five partners, with just 9% of women claiming 20 or more partners versus 19% of men claiming the same.
4.) The average man lasts 14 minutes during sex.
5.) People who have attended college are less likely to experience sexual problems than people who are less educated.
6.) The number one and two turnoffs to romance are bad breath and body odor.

Folic acid also plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of the brain later in life. Patients with blood samples low in folic acid were strongly associated with Alzheimer's Disease. Folic acid is a B vitamin found in leafy dark green vegetables (spinach and asparagus), beans, peas, legumes, liver and orange juice. The FDA has mandated that folic acid be added to enriched grain products, including bread and cereals.

A "Charley Horse" originated in England almost 400 years ago during the 17th century. New police recruits were nicknamed "Charleys" after the reigning King Charles I. Due to lack of funding the new recruits didn't have horses so they patrolled on foot. They joked that their sore feet and legs came from riding "Charley's horse."

Ring Around the Rosy is actually a cautionary tale of the bubonic plague. Ring around the rosy - the rose colored rash that usually accompanied the disease. Pocket full of posies - the herbs and spices people would carry to ward off the plague. Ashes and ashes - a phonetic spelling of sneezing (people stricken with the plague would sneeze violently just before... we all fall down.

Headaches are suffered by nearly everyone occasionally, although an estimated 20% of Americans are plagued with them chronically. Here are a few aids:
1.) Try the herb feverfew, which controls the expansion and contraction of blood vessels in the brain.
2.) A deficiency in the B vitamin (leafy greens, whole grains) is often to blame.
3.) Exercise increases blood flow and releases painkilling hormones.
4.) Reduce your coffee, chocolate, red wine, and aged cheeses. These all share an ingredient called tyramine which causes blood vessels to alternately constrict and expand.
5.) The scent of lavender is a known headache smoother.
6.) Take a hot, then cold shower - hot water soothes and promotes relaxation, while cold water constricts blood vessels and reduces inflammation.

Diabetics have a greater than normal risk of gingivitis (inflamation and bleeding of the gums) and periodontal disease, the condition that causes millions of Americans to lose their teeth. Over 400 different types of bacteria can exist in the human mouth. Many of them strive on sugars, including glucose, the sugar linked to diabetes.

Ulcers hate exercise. Active men are 30% to 50% less likely than nonactive men to develop ulcers. Exercise my help to alter the way the body deals with anxiety and modifies the types and amounts of hormones released into the bloodstream - making it harder for ulcers to form.

Stress can be reduced by cold temperatures, which increase the levels of serotonin in the brain, making you feel calmer. A simple way to cool down; put an ice pack wrapped in a towel on the back of your neck for 15 minutes.

Ground cinnamon - the spice, not the flavoring - stimulates the production of glucose-burning enzymes and boosts insulin's effectiveness (great for diabetics). Adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to your diet each day will give you the same benefit.

Vanilla may trigger the release of serotonin, making you less likely to crave sweets. According to scientists, sniffing any natural vanilla scent may help to fight off a chocolate craving.

Licorice contains glycyrrhizic acid which reduces testosterone levels in men. Their testosterone can fall up to 34% during the time they are taking the licorice. Fear not movie goers, red twizzlers are free of glycyrrhizic acid.