(Reader’s Digest) Gretchen Rubin, creator of The Happiness Project website and an upcoming book of the same name, spent a year testing “every principle, tip, and theory” she could find to help people cheer up, especially given the trying times. “When people feel like they’re worse off than they were last year, it’s a happiness challenge,” Rubin notes. Her advice? Try to think ahead five years when, chances are, you’ll have regained your footing (and your house will be worth more too)…

Sleep. Sounds boring, but a 2004 study showed fatigue is one of the top two reasons people are in a bad mood at work (the other is tight deadlines). Another way to boost happiness is to join or start a group. Philosophers and scientists agree that social bonds are the key to happiness. But it’s hard to connect deeply with people at a party; a purpose and an agenda really help. A third idea is to give something away. One principle of happiness is that you should always act the way you wish you felt. If you act generously, you’ll feel more secure.

Read more.

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[W]abi-sabi as the Japanese philosophy of appreciating things that are imperfect, primitive and incomplete…

Intimately tied to Zen Buddhism and the Japanese Way of Tea, wabi-sabi is a subtly spiritual philosophy that sees home as a sanctuary — a simple place devoid of clutter, disturbance and distraction. Through wabi-sabi’s lens, everything in a home — from the breakfast table to the attic windows — presents an opportunity to see beauty, because beauty is ordinary.

Honoring modest living and the ever-changing moment, wabi-sabi finds beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, accepting the cycle of growth, decay and death. It’s slow and uncluttered, and regards authenticity above all. Wabi-sabi is flea markets, not warehouse stores; aged wood, not laminate. Minimalist wabi-sabi respects age and celebrates humans over invulnerable machines. It finds beauty in cracks and crevices and all the marks that time, weather and use leave behind. It reminds us that we are transient beings — that our bodies and the material world around us are in the process of returning to the dust from which they came. Through wabi-sabi, we learn to embrace both the glory and the impersonal sadness of liver spots, rust and frayed edges, and the march of time they represent.

In a wabi-sabi home, possessions are pared down, then pared down again, to those that are necessary for their utility or beauty (ideally, both)…

Whether admiring simple windowsill flowers in your suburban home or savoring tea in a hand-thrown mug on your rural homestead, wabi-sabi shows that there is value to be treasured in the simple and imperfect, no matter where you hang your — preferably well-loved and well-worn — hat.

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Community: This idea fits well with what we’ve been seeing about the benefits of mindfulness (increasing well-being, relieving anxiety and improving mood, conquering emotional eating, losing weight, boosting will power, managing pain, harmonizing body and mind, and beneficially changing brain structure). Read the whole article for the “12 Ways to Wabi-Sabi.”

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(RealAge.com) You could lower your blood pressure significantly in 30 seconds if you just do this: breathe deeply.

In a study, that simple act helped lower the study participants' systolic blood pressure. In fact, the study participants only had to do it six times to see their systolic pressure dip as much as 10 mm Hg…

Some of the study participants sat alone quietly doing a breathing exercise that involved taking six deep breaths over the course of 30 seconds. The rest just sat quietly doing nothing for the same amount of time…

The overall blood pressure and pulse rates of both groups were healthier after the quiet time. So the real point here may be that calming activities of any kind are important for relaxing blood vessels and the heart.

Check out these blood-pressure-taming tricks:

Sip grape juice. And indulge in these other blood-pressure-lowering foods and drinks...

Flex and squeeze. Try these easy in-your-chair exercises for more blood pressure improvements.

Read more.

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(Mark Hyman, MD, Huffington Post) [T]he science demonstrating that people can be biologically addicted to sugar in the same way we can be addicted to heroin, cocaine or nicotine is clear. Binging and addictive behaviors are eerily similar in alcoholics and sugar addicts. In fact, most recovering alcoholics often switch to another easily available drug: sugar…

In our brain, a little receptor, the dopamine receptor D2 or DRD2 for short, must be activated or switched on for us to feel pleasure. The amino acid dopamine triggers this response. Sugar and other stimulating addictions increase dopamine in the short term. The only problem is it appears that those with sugar addictions, compulsive eating and obesity have DRD2 systems that need much more stimulation to feel pleasure. Those who have sugar addiction, it seems have fewer D2 dopamine receptors and they need extra stimulation to make them "turn on"…

For those with personal struggles with food addiction, remember it is not a moral failing or lack of willpower. Here are a five suggestions I offer my patients to help them break their food addictions.

1. Balance your blood sugar: Research studies say that low blood sugar levels are associated with LOWER overall blood flow to the brain, which means more BAD decisions…

2. Eliminate sugar and artificial sweeteners and your cravings will go away: Go cold turkey…

3. Determine if hidden food allergies are triggering your cravings. We often crave the very foods that we have a hidden allergy to. For a simple allergy elimination program, consider trying The UltraSimple Diet...

4. Get 7-8 hours of sleep. Research shows that lack of sleep increases cravings.

5. Optimize your nutrient status with craving cutting supplements:

• Optimize your vitamin D level: According to one study, when Vitamin D levels are low, the hormone that helps turn off your appetite doesn't work and people feel hungry all the time, no matter how much they eat.

• Optimize omega 3s: Low levels of omega 3 fatty acids are involved in normal brain cell function, insulin control and inflammation.

• Consider taking natural supplements for cravings control. Glutamine, tyrosine, 5-HTP are amino acids that help reduce cravings. Stress reducing herbs such as Rhodiola can help. Chromium balances blood sugar and can help take the edge off cravings. Glucomannan fiber is very helpful to reduce the spikes in sugar and insulin that drive cravings and hunger.

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(RealAge.com) Maybe you eat eggs for breakfast because of their awesome power to control your appetite. But here's another reason to give eggs a place at the breakfast table: smooth skin.

Be they poached, hard-boiled, or sunny-side up, eggs can help you feel full longer, thanks to ample amounts of protein in the whites and yolk. And according to Allison Tannis, author of Feed Your Skin, Starve Your Wrinkles, eggs are also rich in two key skin-smoothing nutrients…

According to Tannis, choline -- a member of the B vitamin family -- helps make up fatty portions of cell membranes and is essential for healthy skin-cell functioning. Choline also helps your body maintain proper levels of other B vitamins. And that's super important because your skin needs B vitamins to produce energy and manufacture collagen and elastin, those rubbery proteins that keep skin looking and feeling firm and smooth.

Read more.

Community: Eggs have a reputation for raising cholesterol levels, but not so much any more, according to a recent study.

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MyRecipes.com:

Meatless Monday: Southwestern Omelet
Black beans and cheddar make for a deliciously hearty filling, but feel free to vary this recipe by using kidney beans or Monterey Jack instead.

Wild Mushroom Omelet

Quick Garden Omelet

Cajun Omelet

EatingWell:

Indian Mango Dal
More than 60 different types of dal (or dhal) are made across India. The basic dish contains lentils or other legumes flavored with aromatics and spices. Here, yellow lentils (toor dal) and mango are cooked in a more traditionally Southern India style—more souplike. Both ripe and underripe mango will work: less-ripe mango imparts a tart flavor and holds its shape, while riper mango breaks down more during cooking and gives the dish a sweeter taste. Serve over basmati rice or with roasted chicken.

Spiced Eggplant-Lentil Salad with Mango

Indian-Spiced Eggplant & Cauliflower Stew

Indian-Spiced Kale & Chickpeas

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(WebMD Health News) A new way to measure body fat that relies only on measurements of your height and your hip circumference is an improvement on the commonly used measure known as body mass index (BMI), according to the developers of the new method…

The new measure, called body adiposity index (BAI), does, he says. So far, [researcher Richard N. Bergman] has validated the new measurement in Hispanic and African-American populations, and says more research is required to confirm how well it works in whites and other ethnic groups.

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(Science Daily) A new study finds that a brain rhythm considered the hallmark of wakefulness not only persists inconspicuously during sleep but also signifies an individual's vulnerability to disturbance by the outside world. In their report…, the team … uses computerized EEG signal processing to detect subtle fluctuations in the alpha rhythm during sleep and shows that greater alpha intensity is associated with increased sleep fragility. The findings could lead to more precise approaches to inducing and supporting sleep.

"We found that the alpha rhythm is not just a marker of the transition between sleep and wakefulness but carries rich information about sleep stability," says Scott McKinney…, lead author of the study. "This suggests that sleep -- rather than proceeding in discrete stages -- actually moves along a continuum of depth. It also opens the door to real-time tracking of sleep states and creates the potential for sleep-induction systems that interface directly with the brain."

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Northwestern Medicine researchers for the first time have transformed a human embryonic stem cell into a critical type of neuron that dies early in Alzheimer's disease and is a major cause of memory loss.

This new ability to reprogram stem cells and grow a limitless supply of the human neurons will enable a rapid wave of drug testing for Alzheimer's disease, allow researchers to study why the neurons die and could potentially lead to transplanting the new neurons into people with Alzheimer's.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Faster approval times for generic drugs will get them into consumers' hands quicker, but may not make the price any better, a pricing and marketing researcher has found.

A mathematical model created by Andrew Ching shows that fewer firms enter the marketplace because the chances of getting there first and commanding the best profits are dramatically smaller when drug approval times are shorter…

"Potentially, for the consumer, the price may not drop as much as you'd hope," said Prof. Ching.

Read more.

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(Chicago Tribune) Few things rile scientific skeptics more than homeopathy, a baffling form of alternative medicine in which patients are given highly diluted and vigorously shaken preparations to trigger the body's natural healing ability. Though it has been used for centuries and some studies have reported positive findings, the practice has no known scientific basis. Most analyses have concluded there's no evidence it works any better than a sugar pill.

Yet homeopathy hasn't just survived the years of scathing criticism; it's prospering. In the U.S., consumer sales of homeopathic treatments reached $870 million in 2009, growing 10 percent over the previous year, according to Nutrition Business Journal estimates…

[D]oes homeopathy provide anything beyond a placebo effect? Overall, many of the studies are small, of poor quality and funded by homeopathic manufacturers…

"You don't need placebos to generate placebo effects," [Dr. Edzard] Ernst has written. "Furthermore, if we allow the homoeopathic industry to sell placebos, we must do the same for Big Pharma. Imagine a world in which pharmaceutical companies could sell us placebos for all sorts of conditions just because some patients experience benefits through a placebo response."

Read more.

Community: But we really need to know more about the placebo effect and how it works. We should make it work for us instead of dismissing it.

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(UPI) Medical professionals -- about 80 physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants -- say they voted to unionize 13 California clinics.

Dr. Wendy Fields, a pediatrician who voted in favor of the union, said the medical professionals, who work at the clinics of Northeast Valley Health Corp., become part of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists.

Fields said some of the issues that led to the vote favoring the union involved scheduling, the absence of regular pay increases and a lack of responsiveness on the part of the clinics' administration.

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(Reuters Health) A new study finds only one out of nearly 2,000 middle-aged Americans hit the mark for ideal heart health as defined by the American Heart Association (AHA).

That entails acing the AHA's seven-item checklist, which includes being physically active, not smoking, having a healthy weight and diet, as well as staying below certain thresholds for cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

Not meeting any one of those goals would be a risk factor for developing heart disease, the leading killer worldwide.

Read more.

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(UPI) One in four U.S. adults -- 59 million Americans -- had high blood pressure in 2008, federal health officials say.

The report, News and Numbers by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, says 75 percent of people diagnosed with high blood pressure were overweight, obese or morbidly obese, but 15 percent of healthy weight adults were diagnosed with high blood pressure.

However, 21 percent of adults who exercised vigorously for 30 minutes or more at least three times a week were one-third less likely than those who didn't to have reported having high blood pressure.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Vanderbilt researchers are studying heavy users of marijuana to help understand what exercise does for the brain, contributing to a field of research that uses exercise as a modality for prevention and treatment.

Participants saw a significant decrease in their cravings and daily use after just a few sessions of running on the treadmill, according to a Vanderbilt study…

"It shows that exercise can really change the way the brain works and the way the brain responds to the world around us," [study co-author Peter Martin, M.D.] said. "And this is vital to health and has implications for all of medicine."

Read more.

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(Science Daily) People who demonstrated a stronger brain response to certain brain regions when receiving individually tailored smoking cessation messages were more likely to quit smoking four months after, a new study found…

"The bigger picture of this is advertisers are increasing using functional MRI to test advertising," said Vic Strecher…, who worked on the project. "If you can imagine that people who create fast food or who sell cigarettes are doing this in an effort to convey a stronger message, we really need to better understand the ways our health messages can be more effective."

[Principal investigator Hannah Faye] Chua stressed that researchers don't want to use functional MRI as a predictor for success of public health messages; it's simply not economically feasible. They do, however, want to better understand and eventually map the portions of the brain responsible for making decisions that will improve their health.

Read more.

Community: I wonder if this information applies to food advertising, too.

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(Los Angeles Times) Two out of three adult Americans are at greater risk for getting cancer — and for dying of it — than they need to be. Not because of smog in their air or radon in their basements. Not because of tobacco in their cigarettes or mutations in their genes.

No, the particular cancer risk shared by these 150 million or so Americans comes from having too many calories in their diet and too little exercise in their daily lives.

In other words, from being overweight…

 [The American Institute for Cancer Research] estimates that every year about 100,000 Americans get a cancer they wouldn't have gotten if they had kept their weight in check. And researchers have estimated that about 14% of cancer deaths in men and 20% in women could be avoided by this same restraint…

A more precise understanding of the biology behind all this may someday lead to drugs that can mitigate the damage. In the meantime, of course, there's an excellent way to avoid the obesity risk, and that's to never become obese at all.

That would require major lifestyle changes for many of us, and making such changes is exceedingly hard, says Dr. John Glaspy… "Sure, we could make it a death penalty offense to sell sugared drinks," he says. But short of such extreme modes of encouragement, a widespread thinning of America is not to be expected anytime soon…

But [some scientists] believe that cancer brings something special to the table. "It's a big motivator," says Jennifer Klemp, associate director of the Breast Cancer Survivorship Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Westwood. "People are really scared of cancer."

Read more.

Community: If we were to mount that same kind of PR campaign to combat obesity that has been mounted against tobacco for so many years, we might have some success in combating the obesity disease. But as long as we continue to believe it’s too hard to expect people to change their lifestyles, we won’t make any progress at all.

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(HealthDay News) Creating a healthy eating action plan and visualizing yourself carrying it out may help improve the way you eat, researchers suggest.

"Telling people to just change the way they eat doesn't work; we've known that for a long time," study author Barbel Knauper … said…

"But research has shown that if people make a concrete plan about what they are going to do, they are better at acting on their intentions. What we've done that's new is to add visualization techniques to the action plan," she explained.

Read more.

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The Daily Meal:

A New Orleans-Style Brunch
The chefs at Café Adelaide and the Swizzle Stick Bar share their favorite recipes for celebrating Mardi Gras.

EatingWell:

Quick Gumbo & More Mardi Gras Recipes
Get ready for Fat Tuesday with these delicious Creole and Cajun recipes.

Cheese Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce
Intense, earthy and absolutely addictive, New Mexico’s cheese enchiladas showcase red chile sauce at its most elemental, thickly blanketing tortillas and melted Cheddar. We’ve added some extra creaminess and body with locally popular pinto beans, to cut down on the classic’s load of saturated fat. Top with shredded lettuce and minced onion.

MyRecipes.com:

Crispy Fish with Lemon-Dill Sauce
For sustainability reasons, be sure to choose Alaskan cod, or substitute halibut or even tilapia.

SouthBeachDiet.com:

Mediterranean Vegetable Sandwiches
The beauty of a Mediterranean meal is the harmonious blend of tantalizing flavors and healthy, wholesome foods. Like many traditional Greek and Middle Eastern dishes, this Mediterranean-inspired recipe features nutrient-rich vegetables, chickpeas, and reduced-fat cheese — the perfect ingredients for a delicious and satisfying lunch or dinner.

Recipes for Health, New York Times

Coconut Oil Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Coconut oil enhances the caramelized flavor while adding a delicate coconut essence to the dish.

Sautéed Shrimp With Coconut Oil, Ginger and Coriander
Scallions sauteed in coconut oil absorb the sweetness of the oil and pass on that lovely nuance to the whole dish.

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(Melissa Clark, New York Times) A few years ago I noticed something odd at the health food store. There, rubbing elbows with the extra-virgin olive oil and cold-pressed canola oil was virtually the last fat I expected to see in such esteemed company: coconut oil.

The last time I checked, coconut oil was supposed to be the devil himself in liquid form, with more poisonous artery-clogging, cholesterol-raising, heart-attack-causing saturated fat than butter, lard or beef tallow…

So … what was coconut oil doing in a health food store? In fact, it has recently become the darling of the natural-foods world. Annual sales growth at Whole Foods “has been in the high double digits for the last five years,” said Errol Schweizer, the chain’s global senior grocery coordinator.

Two groups have helped give coconut oil its sparkly new makeover. One is made up of scientists, many of whom are backtracking on the worst accusations against coconut oil. And the other is the growing number of vegans, who rely on it as a sweet vegetable fat that is solid at room temperature and can create flaky pie crusts, crumbly scones and fluffy cupcake icings, all without butter…

“Most of the studies involving coconut oil were done with partially hydrogenated coconut oil, which researchers used because they needed to raise the cholesterol levels of their rabbits in order to collect certain data,” [professor of nutritional sciences Dr. Thomas] Brenna said. “Virgin coconut oil, which has not been chemically treated, is a different thing in terms of a health risk perspective. And maybe it isn’t so bad for you after all.”

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(Science Daily) Consumed naturally in the human diet, zinc can be found in food sources, such as beef, yogurt, eggs, and fish. Furthermore, zinc is widely used in dental products, specifically denture adhesives.

However, as with any herb, vitamin, or mineral, excess intake of zinc could pose a potential health hazard. Denture wearers are advised to pay special attention to the amount of zinc they consume…

"If a patient wears dentures, it is essential that he or she follows the instructions and recommended dosages on the product label," advises J. A. von Fraunhofer, MSc, PhD… "Many times, patients will overuse the adhesive and, although it happens rarely, they can ingest toxic levels of zinc, with adverse neurologic effects."

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Using a bone-creating protein to augment the maxillary sinus could improve dental implant success, according to Georgia Health Sciences University researchers…

According to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, 69 percent of adults ages 35-44 have lost at least one tooth due to decay, disease or trauma, and 26 percent of adults have lost all permanent teeth by age 74. Before dental implants were available, the only options for replacing these missing teeth were dentures and dental bridges, both of which could lead to further bone loss. Implants provide patients with numerous benefits, including improved oral health, appearance, speech, convenience, durability and ability to eat.

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(Science Daily) The burning, tingling pain of neuropathy may affect feet and hands before other body parts because the powerhouses of nerve cells that supply the extremities age and become dysfunctional as they complete the long journey to these areas, Johns Hopkins scientists suggest in a new study…

[Ahmet Hoke, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of neurology and neuroscience,] notes that if this discovery is confirmed for other types of neuropathy, it could lead to mitochondria-specific ways to treat this condition. For example, he says, doctors may eventually be able to give patients drugs that improve the function of older mitochondria, in turn improving the function of nerve cells and relieving pain.

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(Science Daily) Researchers … have now found a regulator of gene activity that tells epidermal stem cells when it's time to grow more skin, as well as a "crowd control" molecule that can sense cell crowding and turn the growth off.

The work, in mice and in human cancer cells, provides clues to new therapeutic strategies for cancer, particularly squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common skin cancer, in which epidermal cell growth is inappropriately turned on. It could also aid efforts to grow skin grafts and treat burn patients.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a potential target to treat an aggressive type of prostate cancer. The target, a gene called SPINK1, could be to prostate cancer what HER2 has become for breast cancer.

Like HER2, SPINK1 occurs in only a small subset of prostate cancers -- about 10 percent. But the gene is an ideal target for a monoclonal antibody, the same type of drug as Herceptin, which is aimed at HER2 and has dramatically improved treatment for this aggressive type of breast cancer.

"Since SPINK1 can be made on the surface of cells, it attracted our attention as a therapeutic target. Here we show that a 'blocking' antibody to SPINK1 could slow the growth of prostate tumors in mice that were positive for the SPINK protein," says study author Arul Chinnaiyan, M.D., Ph.D.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) The current clinical trial process in the United States is on shaky ground. In this era of personalized medicine, as diseases are increasingly defined by specific genetic and biologic markers and treatments are tailored accordingly, patient populations for new therapies grow smaller and smaller. Coupled with skyrocketing costs and expanding regulatory requirements, the completion of trials that are essential in bringing new and effective therapies to patients is no easy task…

[Now] a group of researchers from around the world propose a new model to revitalize the research engine in this country -- collaborative clinical trials. They believe collaborative trials -- in which different companies team up and share the costs to test new therapies or devices -- will ensure safe and effective treatments become available more quickly and at a lower cost than they do today.

Read more.

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(Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times) We've all heard that government paperwork is a drag on productivity and a backdoor tax on the economy. Here's a case where it may actually be helping to improve people's lives.

The paperwork at issue is a questionnaire of up to 38 pages nursing homes now have to fill out for every resident upon admission. The form has to be filled out again periodically during the resident's stay, and again upon the resident's discharge, no matter whether he or she is being sent home to live with family, or sent to a hospital by ambulance in the middle of the night…

It's part of a revolution in nursing care that has relegated the old picture of the nursing home — the last way station for your aged grandparents before the grave — to the dustbin. Today, gerontologists say, most residents stay six months or less before transferring back home or to facilities specializing in patients with the most severe mental or physical problems.

"It's absolutely no longer the case that the nursing home is the last home for the aged," says Robert A. Applebaum, an expert on long-term care at Miami University in Ohio. "For a lot of people, they're really being used for short-term care." One of the key questions on the new form, he observes, asks whether the resident expects to return to the community, and requires that the resident be asked directly.

"It used to be that it would be a nurse who would answer that question for the resident, and assume the answer," he told me. "The question about 'Do you want to get out' is really a big change."

Whether society is fully prepared to recognize that it's better to be cared for at home than in an institution is unclear. The difference puts more pressure on in-home housekeeping and medical services for the elderly. Unfortunately, that's one of the first services to be cut back by states facing fiscal pressure, including California.

The requirement that residents actively participate in their own care is part of an even bigger, and positive, change reflecting the evolution of nursing homes away from storage depots for the aged.

Read more.

Community: It’s time for us all to stop being passive receivers of medical advice. We need to take our own health into our own hands.

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(RealAge.com) Here are two quick weight loss tricks that are so simple, they're almost too good to be true: Just read and walk.

Research shows that middle-aged adults who read food labels and also stick with a regular exercise program -- like walking -- are much more likely to succeed at weight loss than folks who practice just one of these little habits…

Knowing how to read and interpret food labels can help you judge portion sizes correctly, so you're less likely to overeat. In fact, in one study, patrons of a popular coffee chain consumed 6 percent fewer calories per transaction when the calorie counts for items on the menu were clearly displayed…

Combine label reading with regular exercise and you've got a powerful one-two weight loss punch. And you don't have to knock yourself out with marathon workouts at the gym. People who exercised for just 20 minutes a few times a week -- along with reading the labels on every food purchase -- were most likely to lose weight in the study.

Read more.

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(UPI) If U.S. adults have access to a vehicle they have access to produce, but if they have to walk to get food, finding lettuce may be impossible, researchers say.

Phil Howard and Kirk Goldsberry, both of Michigan State University, developed interactive maps using geographic information systems that offer a visual perspective of urban food deserts -- areas where food, especially fresh food, particularly produce, is hard to find…

"The change in food environments is recurring all over the nation," Howard said in a statement. "The best selection of produce and the lowest prices have moved to the suburbs. So if you want lettuce in Lansing, (Mich.) or in most U.S. cities, you're going to have to drive to get it."

Read more.

Community: Well, that’s not true in downtown Chicago. I’m within walking distance of four stores that sell fresh vegetables. Of course, what’s walking distance to me may seem a bit far to others. But I combine trips to the grocery store with my daily walk, which means I don’t mind the distance.

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(HealthDay News) A diet rich in foods that are loaded with potassium can reduce your risk for a stroke by 21 percent and may also lower your risk of heart disease, a new study suggests.

Good sources of potassium include bananas and other fruits and vegetables, as well as fish, poultry and dairy, the researchers noted.

And ounce per ounce, sweet potato and tomato paste top the list, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Read more.

Community: Potassium is also available as a dietary supplement. If you want to prevent, delay, or reduce the severity of stroke, here are some ways to do it.

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(SouthBeachDiet.com) The versatility of beans and other legumes makes them an ideal choice for side dishes, soups, stews, and salads. Beans also make great dips and salsas: For example, chickpeas can be the basis for a healthy hummus and black beans are delicious in a tomato and avocado salsa.

Beans and other legumes are a good source of protein and fiber… Purchase them fresh, dried, frozen, or canned, and start with 1/3 to 1/2 cup serving. Avoid canned beans or other legumes that contain sugar, lard, or molasses, and look for lower-sodium versions as well.

Beans and other legumes are also extremely nutritious and can help improve your health profile. Here’s how:

All legumes are a major source of soluble fiber, which helps to remove cholesterol from the body before it's absorbed.

The fiber in beans and other legumes also slows digestion and, as a result, helps prevent a sharp rise in blood-sugar levels, which cans reduce cravings for sugary and starchy carbs.

In addition to fiber, legumes are high in protein, folate, potassium, iron, calcium, and B vitamins.

Read more.

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MyRecipes.com:

Beef and Rice Noodle Salad
Think salads aren't filling? Then you haven't tried this one packed with rice noodles, fresh vegetables, and tender steak.

Grilled Chicken and Nectarine Salad

Caribbean Grilled Scallop Salad

Spinach, White-Bean, and Red-Onion Salad

EatingWell:

Orange-Tomato Couscous with Chicken
This cinnamon- and cumin-spiked couscous with chicken takes its inspiration from Morocco. It’s made mostly with pantry staples—all you have to pick up is some chicken thighs, a bunch of cilantro and an orange. The orange slices become tender after cooking—you can eat them skin and all. For a variation, substitute diced, boneless leg of lamb for the chicken. Serve with steamed green beans or a spinach salad.

Herbed Lamb Chops with Greek Couscous Salad

Seafood Couscous Paella

Garam Masala Lamb Chops with Apricot Couscous

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(Science Daily) An interdisciplinary group of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania has, for the first time, identified the neurological and cellular signaling mechanisms that contribute to satiety -- the sensation of feeling full -- and the subsequent body-weight loss produced by drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes…

While no pharmaceutical treatment for obesity currently exists, type 2 diabetes drugs targeting the hormone glucagon-like-peptide-1, or GLP-1, for insulin production may hold promise. These drugs were known to promote weight loss, simply as a result of patients eating less…

"Identifying both the site-of-action and mechanisms that accounts for the body weight loss of these GLP-1 drugs puts us one step closer to developing effective, FDA-approved, treatments for obesity," [Matthew] Hayes said.

Read more.

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(AP) [A stomach pacemaker] works a bit like a cardiac pacemaker, and consists of a stimulator and a sensor surgically implanted onto the stomach.

The stimulator sends out electrical pulses meant to trick the stomach and brain into thinking the body is full…

Appetite is partly controlled by signals sent from nerves around the stomach to the brain; the stomach pacemaker taps into that communication system, sending a message to the brain that the body is full after a relatively small amount of food is consumed.

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Community: I continue to be amazed at the lengths to which people will go to avoid using natural means like eating whole grains and legumes at every meal, to lose weight.

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(Science Daily) Researchers found that adding family-assisted exercise therapy to routine physical therapy after stroke improved motor function, balance, distance walked and ability to perform daily living activities. It also lowered the strain on the family member, who said participation lowered stress and was empowering.

"It's a win-win situation for everyone," said Emma Stokes, Ph.D., the study's principal investigator… "People with stroke, their families and healthcare providers share in the benefit."

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(Science Daily) Recent research by doctoral student Sevan Goenezen holds the promise of becoming a powerful new weapon in the fight against breast cancer. His complex computational research has led to a fast, inexpensive new method for using ultrasound and advanced algorithms to differentiate between benign and malignant tumors with a high degree of accuracy…

This new technique uses ultrasound images of breast tissue to infer the mechanical properties of the tissue as it is compressed. The structure of collagen fibers within malignant tissues is very different from the collagen fiber structure in benign tissue. This method quantifies the non-linear behavior of the tumor tissue to determine whether it is cancerous…

Goenezen is confident that this new method could lead to less expensive, more effective, and safer diagnosis of breast cancer, which holds the potential to save many lives and significantly trim the screening costs for patients, doctors, and hospitals. Additionally, he said he believes this new method could be adapted to diagnose other diseases, including prostate cancer, cervical cancer, liver cirrhosis, and atherosclerosis.

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(HealthDay News) Breast cancer survivors may be at increased risk for falls and broken bones due to the combined effects of chemotherapy and endocrine therapy, a new study suggests…

Balance was the only difference between breast cancer survivors who fell and those who did not. The researchers said their findings also suggest that balance problems may be due to chemotherapy-related changes in the vestibular system, which is involved in balance and spatial orientation.

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Community: I started having balance problems a few years ago, including dizzy spells, years after having had chemotherapy. But I’m discovering that I can regain balance by practicing standing, wearing walking shoes, on one foot at a time for one minute. A physical therapist told me not to use my hands to catch myself, but the raised foot, instead. She said catching myself with my foot sends a different message to my brain than using my hands. I haven’t had a dizzy spell in a while now.

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(Science Daily) Just as the constant pressure soldiers face on the battlefield can follow them home in the form of debilitating stress, African Americans who face chronic exposure to racial discrimination may have an increased likelihood of suffering a race-based battle fatigue, according to Penn State researchers.

African Americans who reported in a survey that they experienced more instances of racial discrimination had significantly higher odds of suffering generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) some time during their lives, according to Jose Soto, assistant professor, psychology.

Generalized anxiety disorder has both psychological and physical symptoms that are so severe that they can significantly affect everyday tasks and job performance. People with the disorder may have chronic worrying, intrusive thoughts and difficulty concentrating. Physically, the disorder may manifest such symptoms as tension headaches, extreme fatigue and ulcers.

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