February 15-21, 2011 - Original Health Articles

It might be difficult to imagine anything good coming out of the dreadful flu. But researchers have discovered that when babies are exposed to the influenza virus early on, their immune systems become strong and activate enough immune response to prevent asthma later in life.

Underwear is the foundation of any outfit. If you don't feel great in your undergarments, you won't feel confident on the outside either. If you're feeling less-than-happy with your current ones, it may be time to switch some out. So, where do you start? Well, there may not be concrete laws about underwear, but you can count on certain guidelines to help you along.

If you're motivated to exercise because you want to lower your blood sugar levels, the best course of action is to combine aerobics and weight lifting, according to a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Combining both forms of exercise is more beneficial to a diabetic than sticking to just one, according to the research.

Poor sleep and chronic pain often go hand-in-hand.  Millions of patients who live with fibromyalgia, arthritis, migraines, and other painful conditions have trouble falling or staying asleep because of their symptoms. The more sleep they lose, the more stressed and exhausted they feel and the more pain they experience.

If you suffer from heart disease, participating in a regular exercise program can help make your heart muscle stronger. Exercise may also help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels and control your blood sugar if you have diabetes. However, before embarking on any exercise program or rigorous activity, talk with your doctor to make sure the exercise or activity is safe for you.

Active video games—kids love them. Whether it's the Wii, Dance Dance Revolution, Microsoft Xbox, or Sony Playstation, these interactive games have users hopping, dancing, jumping, serving, swinging, and generally moving around their family rooms.

In the last few years, fiber supplements have become all the rage, helping weight-conscious people to feel fuller so they eat less. Fiber is also an efficient stool softener, and sufferers of digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and chronic constipation have used it to help manage their symptoms.

Genetics play a significant role in mental health disorders. Individuals who have one or more family members with a mental health disease are more likely to develop a brain disorder than those without a family history. This link holds true for eating disorders as well.

Personality is a combination of thoughts and behaviors that are unique to each individual.  It is the way everyone views the world and yourself. In general, individuals with personality disorders have different perceptions of life and thought processes.

When you talk about "your metabolism" you are actually talking about your metabolic rate. That's the rate at which your body breaks down the larger or "macro" nutrients you get from the food you eat-mostly carbohydrates, but also fat and sometimes protein-and uses them to create energy.

Meeting that special someone who just might rock your world is easier than ever, thanks to online dating. And it's more popular than ever before, with an estimated 20 million Americans now using online dating sites, a figure that's more than doubled from just five years ago, says the market research firm IBISWorld, as reported in The New York Times.

You and your partner may be the best of friends during the day, but what happens at night? If you're not sleep compatible, your relationship can suffer, as can your physical and mental health. You can't sleep poorly every night, so you have to find a solution.

It's a well-known fact that engaging in regular physical activity can improve your health and well-being and actually reduce your risk of developing or dying from some of the most common diseases, including colon cancer, heart disease, and high-blood pressure.

Are your fingers and toes often cold, even when the rest of you is warm? If so, you could have a condition known as Raynaud's disease, in which an interruption of blood flow to specific areas of the body (often the extremities but sometimes the nose and ears) makes them feel cold, turn different colors, and feel numb or prickly when they finally do get warm.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects more than 55 million Americans-mostly women-and can cause a vast array of symptoms such as severe abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea, constipation, and excessive gas. One potential IBS remedy that's gained some recent attention is charcoal.

See what people are saying about this article on our Facebook page! America is the land of the free and home of the brave. But when it comes to hygiene, we also tend to be the home of the over-obsessed. Americans tend to overdo bathing, hair washing, and teeth brush, resulting with dry skin, dry hair, and bleeding or receding gums.