Walking Off the Weight Starts with the First Step
The right footwear can be your first step toward total body fitness. Walking 30 minutes a day has tremendous health benefits including: reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke; type-2 diabetes, osteoporosis, reducing feelings of stress and depression; weight loss.

10 Commandments of Healthy Eating: Beware of Saturated Fats
Not all fats are created equal. Although some fats positively affect our health, it is also important to remember that other fats, like saturated fats, can raise cholesterol in your blood and increase your risk of heart disease.

Everyone loves the idea of having clear, unblemished skin. But in reality, few people get through life without realizing their fair share of pimples. While an occasional break-out may seem like a crisis, it's a relatively small problem compared to the often unrelenting anguish of acne.

Sedation Dentistry "Great News" for Millions of Americans
Nearly 30 percent of Americans are afraid of the dentist. Now, dentistry can be a positive experience. Sedation dentistry, sometimes referred to as "relaxation dentistry" or "sleep dentistry" (which is inaccurate, as sedated patients remain conscious) is achieved by a pill, not a needle.

Hindsight is 20/20 when it comes to the Sun
Regarding aging skin, nearly 83 percent of men and women surveyed over the age of 55 stated that if they had to do it all over again, they would either stay out of the sun or seriously limit their sunning/tanning from previous years gone by.

Q: Can my child still exercise if he has asthma?

A: There are many different triggers of asthma. The most common triggers of asthma are upper-respiratory infections - also known as colds - and exercise. Because vigorous exercise is a common trigger of asthma, it is important to understand symptoms of the problem and some simple treatment plans.

Contrary to what many first-time parents think, bedtime blues are not just a newborn phenomenon. The key to figuring out what's causing the bedtime problem is to know yourself, your child and your specific situation.

Pre-sun Care
Apply your sunscreen at least 20 to 30 minutes prior to going out in the sun. Also, make sure any facial or body moisturizer is applied first and completely dry before adding your sunscreen on top.
Resource: Carol Donnelly, LE Dermal Solutions Esthetic Center
295-0027

Q: I've read that dental hygiene is important during pregnancy. Is that true?

A: Everyone wants a healthy baby. Prematurity and low birth weight can get baby off to a rough start. As pediatricians, we are focused on the health and well-being of children. Getting children off to a good start is key to that mission.

The Science Behind Great Skin at any Age
For both men and women, the aging process can cause the skin to go through many changes. Your skin gradually becomes thinner and finely wrinkled. Oil-producing (sebaceous) glands grow less active, leaving your skin drier. The number of blood vessels in your skin decreases; your skin becomes more fragile; and you lose your youthful color. Hormones, the environment and how well we take care of our skin all impact how we age. Great skin can be achieved with proper care such as: daily use of a sunblock (UVA/UVB with 30 SPF or greater); avoiding the sun; washing your skin gently and applying moisturizer regularly; drinking plenty of water; getting at least eight hours of sleep; and exercising regularly. For damage that has already been done, there are laser and IPL treatments, Botox, fillers and medical-grade skin care products to give back that youthful, rested appearance.

"You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman."
Forty-one years ago when Aretha Franklin sang that tune, there were no Botox injections, chemical peels or laser treatments around to make a woman look younger and lovelier.
Beauty and "aging gracefully" were pretty much take-what-you-get Mother Nature processes done largely without assistance from Father Time-defying needles, scalpels or compounds.
Today - and despite numerous advances in dermatology/cosmetic treatments - many women seek a more "biological" path to beauty and vitality. Rather than an "alternative" means for looking and feeling great, it's about finding something more natural, safe and with the fewest amount of chemicals. Such focus also offers a holistic direction for de-stressing the body - so important for health, attitude and appearance.

Most new moms truly believe that their love life will return to normal "after." It's the "after" that's the sticking point: after everything heals from childbirth; after I lose the few thousand extra pounds I put on during pregnancy; after I figure out how to live with sleep deprivation. After, after, after... Any time you talk with new parents, both the mom and the dad usually agree that after they had the little darlings their intimate life changed, and not for the better. Unfortunately, if we don't make our love life a priority it will soon disappear, down the drain just like the baby's bath water.

In early December the Wall Street Journal reported that a large new study shows strong links between children's weight and their risk of developing heart disease in adulthood. Researchers found that as kids ages 7 to 13 gained even moderate weight, their risk of illness increased; the greater the increase in weight, the higher the risk of illness.

Dental Implants are the Better Alternative to Dentures
Implantology is the science of the replacement of teeth that have been lost due to accident or disease. Before the development of dental implantology, patients had to adapt to dentures, removable partial dentures, or bridgework. Patients often complained of not being able to chew food properly or eat many of the foods they enjoyed. Some would have pain and discomfort because of ill-fitting dentures due to bone loss. Until recently, dental implantology only offered some relief by allowing a "snugger" fit of the patient's dentures. Now, dental implantology offers every patient the opportunity to have much of the natural tooth function restored.

Being thin isn't the same as being healthy. Squeezing into the "right" size jeans may feel great, but a healthy heart, supported skeletal system and toned muscles are more important than the number on a tag. Lucky for you, Santa Clarita is chock-full of totally-unique, entirely-motivating fun and fantastic fitness and health options perfect for adults, kids and seniors.

All families struggle at times with feeling "connected," but it can be much more difficult in a blended or step-family environment. When parents remarry and bring together their children from a previous marriage, these children may be hurt or angry and unwilling to accept the new parent. Often, they reject not only the new parent, new siblings, room sharing and limit setting, but include in their rejection displays of love and affection.

Getting your child to brush is quite challenging because children are not motivated by necessity but rather by fun and pleasure. Making this daily activity fun and pleasant for your little one will go a long way in establishing a life-long routine that will keep your child smiling and healthy.

Relieve Joint Pain with Eucalyptus
Therapeutic-grade peppermint and eucalyptus are anti-spasmodic and very effective at relieving joint pain, muscle pain and arthritis. Additionally, therapeutic-grade rosemary increases circulation and lavender relaxes the muscles. These oils blended together in a base oil, such as grapeseed, can be massaged on the body to provide fast pain relief without any side effects. Note: therapeutic-grade oils must be used for such massage treatments, as scents do not provide therapeutic benefits.

Congratulations! We've lived though the holidays once again. This season, I had the most interesting conversations with absolute strangers. I made a point of starting up dialogue with other women shoppers while standing shoulder to shoulder in those eternally-long checkout lines. As I listened as women shared their stories, common themes emerged. For the most part, they talked about husband stress, shopping stress, buying stress and kid stress.