America Loves...Potatoes?

Potatoes seem to be continually topping the list of what Americans eat most frequently. According to a news update from HealthNewsDigest.com, almost half of the American nation eats potatoes fours days a week.

At first, this seemed surprising to hear. But when I thought more about it, I realized that potatoes are mashed and baked and sliced with butter and/or sour cream for a quick and easy meal. Of course, there are also french fries, a food commonly eaten and loved by any true American. Potatoes have grown to be such a needed part of an average persons life. No wonder why our society allows kids to play with a mr. potato head toy.

Feng Shui: For Your Heath?

In recent years, feng shui has been a term used in America, mostly by interior designers, to try to get people to spend money on rearranging their rooms in their homes, thinking it will rearrange their lives also. However, it's actually an ancient art science meaning "wind-water", and developed in China over 3,000 years ago. It teaches people to balance the energy (chi) in any given space to insure good fortune and health. (Meaning, its a cleaner and not as cluttered version of your room before you spent all that money redesigning it.)

In English, its pronounced fuhng-shway, and is utilized by a bagua (below) to maximize the enhancement of energy througout the room. By enhancing the energy, it is told that the person's life will also be enhanced.

This type of health is natural and mental. If you really believe in it and go all out with it, it should satisfy you. However, I dont believe it's really nessary if you dont have the time of money to redesign and rearrange the right way. A recent news article talks more about how feng shui is being used in American more as a health feature than a design feature.

Obama's New Stimulus Package Has an Effect on Health Care

Obama signed the stimulus package today in hopes to build back the day-by-day slowing of the economy. The stimulus package also included the health care hope of $1.1 billion going toward comparing and analyzing treatments for many different illnesses to determine the effectiveness of them on their patients. For more on the stimulus package's imact on health care see visit this health news site.

I hope this part of the package will help people realize Obama's intentions in already trying to change the way America's health care plan runs in his first hundred days. Clearly, I am an Obama fan so I hope what he is doing really gets past those tough republicans and is understood and accepted by the American people.

Nurse Shortages

There has been a report of a shortage of nurses with the harshness of the economy kicking in as the months go by. Since the shortage is having an effect on many hospitals all over America, nurses fresh out from school are being thrown into the job with little instruction and supervision, therfore causing them to quit their job and try something else.

I think this is a great oppurtunity for students at the highschool/college age who are still determining their futures to choose to take a nursing career now and get proper schooling for it now, so that if times get worse, the demand for good nurses will be higher, possibly making the average salary higher. Every hospital is going to start needing nurses, especially if the government starts picking up on the problem. Without nurses doctors and hospitals cannot properly function. I know some nurses and I know that they are doing the best they can with the shortages, despite what outsiders say about them.

Wii Fit

A news article released today states that playing the Wii Fit could potentially help senior citizens prevent falling, by improving their balancing skills. Doctors say falling is the biggest cause of accidental injury related death from older people.

So, when doctors tried to find something to decrease the risks of falling for seniors, they found expensive medical fitness equipment, but could not get funding to spread it. After searching again, they found that the Wii Fit was very similar to the expensive stuff, but on a much cheaper scale.

The Wii fit seems pretty enjoyable to me, and if it seems to work as a good fitness tool, as many people have said it does, then why not try it? Its affordable, entertaining, and health-friendly. Whats not to like?

Budokon: Way of the Spiritual Warrior

Okay, the title seems a tad different from what you would expect to see in your typical health blog, if you are unfamiliar with this type of exercise. Yes, budokon IS a type of exercise that is getting more and more popularity every week. It has been popping up in magazines and health articles all over the place lately, and is also Hollywood's new technique of getting slimmer, so I figured I'd say something about it. Supposedly, its a mixture of meditation, pilates, yoga, and martial arts, and healthnews.com is calling it a new "miracle exercise". Personally, I think its only getting popularity because its new, not because it works any better than the already "invented" exercises going around. Everyone just needs something new to say, or something new and improved to work towards, (not that its any better). People seem to be getting more boring as the years go by.

Eat Smart: Decrease Calorie Intake for Another Reason

Everyone is always saying that the number one way to lose weight is to simply limit daily calorie intake. But does that statement drive you enough to actually do it? Psh, it wouldn't for me.

As I was searching for a recent article on the limiting of calorie intake, I came across an interesting article explaining another reason to cut the calories. The article mentioned a test group, over a 90 day period, that took in various calorie amounts. As it turned out, the group who lowered their calorie intake not only lost several pounds, but also averaged about a 20 percent improvement in memory function.

It seems pretty believable, actually. I bet many people are going to think more about how many caloires that take in, especially since good memory is not something most people today have.

A Cure For Asthma?

In recent researches and observation, the dust mite has been found to trigger asthma attacks. The Executive Director of the American Asthma Foundation says that they knew dust mites caused it, but until now, they did not know why it was so strong. This research was funded by the American Asthma Foundation's Strategic Program for Asthma Research (SPAR). The investigators found that house dust mites trick the immune system into believing that it is facing a bacterial infection. While unaware, the immune system mounts a strong allergic response to the mites, a response that can trigger asthma attacks.

I find this interesting that a cure for asthma is on its way. I have had asthma since I was a little kid, so its always good to hear an improvement for people that have the same condition as I do. Now that the main cause for asthma has been found, maybe a cure will be on its way. Maybe they can create a drug that can keep this allergic response to dust mites from even starting to happen, instead of inhalers.