Sleep: my anti-drug

We are always trying to get it, or always trying to prove we don't need it as much as everyone else. Sleep is elusive for some and too easy for others. But how much of it are we supposed to be getting?

According to the article, "At Every Age, Feeling the Effects of Too Little Sleep," it changes for people and for each age.

Newborns, for example, sleep 14-16 hours a day. As they age, children need less sleep until they hit puberty, and then the need jumps up to nine to 10 hours a night. High schoolers need more sleep than they are getting, and many researchers believe they are sleep deprived.

"Sleep deprivation has been linked to poorer grades, moodiness and depression," states the article.

Adults need about 8-10 hours of sleep a night, and they tend to be more healthy when they do.
Especially when they exercise is involved. According to another article, "Sleep hard after workouts? You must be dreaming," people who exercise heavily can usually sleep better.

For insomniacs, doctors many times will recommend they exercise five to six hours before they go to bed. Exercise raises the body's temperature and so five to six hours later when the temperature drops, sleep comes easier.

Hope for Myanmar?

Aung San Suu Kyi, the only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient, was allowed to leave her house for an hour to meet with a Myanmar government official. Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years.

According to the article, "Suu Kyi freed for talks with junta," Kyi was allowed to leave her house for the first time in three years. Suu Kyi was the democratic leader in Mynamar in the late 80's and won the election by a landslide, but the junta refused to recognize the results.

Suu Kyi met with U Aung Kyi, who was picked to work as the liaison between the junta and Suu Kyi. The meeting was arranged due to the attack the junta had on peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations. Many people were injured and as many as 40 Buddhist monks were killed.

For more information on Aung San Suu Kyi, visit The Burma Campaign UK.

Tips for a more organic life

While some people may think it is hard, or expensive to consume organic foods, there is an easier way to increase your intake of this growing trend.

According to "Five Easy ways to go Organic," some produce with peels, like oranges and grapefruits, have lower levels of pesticides than other fruits and veggies. The article also goes on to lend other tips to integrate organics into your diet.

Milk is number one on the list, explaining that milk has " a whole chemical system of agriculture," and that many people switch to organic milk "because they are concerned about the antibiotics, artificial hormones and pesticides used in the commercial dairy industry."

Peanut butter is also on the list. According to this article, most peanut farms use a lot of a fungicide that treats a common mold on peanuts. Many stores now offer organic peanut butter, but you can also make your own mix of peanut butter at health food stores like Whole Foods.

Last but definitly not least is the apple. It is one of the most consumed fruit, whether it be in solid or liquid form. It also is one of the most pesticide-infected fruit as well. Luckily, states the article, organic apples are easy to find in grocery stores.

This article was based off another site of a book written by Dr. Green. For more information, visit Organic RX.

Lipo in a shot?

Imagine being able to lose weight in certain areas by not doing anything but getting a shot. Lipodissolve, a new drug, can be strategicaly shot into certain parts of the body and will dissolve fatty deposits.

Sounds like a dream, right? Well, to many people it is, with many success stories. However, some physicians feel that this drug needs to be tested rigorously to ensure that it safe for people to use.

According to the article, "Feel Pudgy? There's a shot for that," explains what is in the drug to make it dissolve fat. "Anti-fat shots often contain a compound of approved drug ingredients known as PCDC, which includes a phospholipid called phosphatidylcholine and a bile acid called deoxycholate," explain doctors. PCDC is used in a drug in Germany that helps treat "blood vessles blocked by fat embolisms."

Even though Lipodissolve may not have gone through all the tests needed to ensure it is safe, many people are still running to the nearest treatment center. Treatments cost around $2,000 and requires six shots spaced two weeks apart.

Like everything medical, some treatments don't work the same on everyone. Some horror stories of Lipodissolve include skin smarting and turning black, and so much liquid that the area swells. In both situations, no fat-loss changes were seen in the areas that were injected.

Personally, I think this drug sounds too good to be true, and some more testing needs to be done to ensure that this a drug that is safe. For more information, visit http://www.fig.com/.

Vitamin water: Is it really that good?

I love Glaceau's Vitamin Water. Many people do. Just the name is enough to make people think that "hey, this is good for me, and it tastes great." But really, how good is vitamin water for the body?

The article "Confused in the beverage aisle? Here's some help," kind of clears some questions up. It explains that while Vitamin Water is tasty, it's not exactly a low-calorie drink. It does contain all kinds of vitamins and may even excuse you from taking a multivitamin every day; it also contains 150 calories and it does not use artificial sweetners.

Another article, "Ask Dr. Sears: Is Vitamin Water safe for kids?" really goes into detail about why vitamin or flavored waters in general are not really all they are cracked up to be. While Vitamin water may contain lots of vitamins, you are still getting a better package when you eat them in nutritious foods, and they may not be quite as beneficial when you are drinking them all in one drink.

Another thought that Dr. Sears brings up is that drinking lots of sweetened drinks can "depress the immune system, just the opposite of what you hope to achieve when consuming vitamins."

The first article points out the last point I want discuss. It explains how sports drinks are made for athletes to give them more energy to go while they are working out or doing their thing. Thus, they are loaded with carbs and sugars to give them that extra energy. So for the person who drinks them because they taste good and not because they are working out, they are consuming a large dose of carbs and sugars they don't need.

Vitamin Water probably isn't classified under a sports drink, but it does carry most of the same stuff. So for those of you like me, who drink Vitamin Water because it tastses good or after a work out, it is probably not the greatest thing for a diet.

First Ski area open for the season

Arapahoe Basin opened its lifts for the first time this season Wednesday. A-Basin is the first ski area to open in the nation for the second year in a row.

Skiiers and riders can look forward to an 18-inch base on the high noon run. There aren't any beginner slopes open right now.

Loveland Ski area is close to opening up as well. The two ski areas have a race every year to see which can open up first. Loveland just doesn't have the 18-inch base that they are looking forward to quite yet.

Lift tickets for A-Basin run about $45 for adults, but if you're looking for a season pass, they will cost anywhere from $259 for just A-Basin or $309 for the bonus pass, which includes five days at Keystone and Breckenridge, or one day at Vail/Beaver Creek.

http://www.denverpost.com/skiing/ci_7131553
http://www.arapahoebasin.com/?page=site/news_template&nav_id=a31253b49c9bbfeb8eaac83ef2bddf1e
http://www.skiloveland.com/

Reason Appenix exisits-found

For years, people have been asking, why do we have appendixes? Really, it seems the only reason we have it is to take it out when it gets inflamed. But it seems some doctors at Duke University have found its purpose.

According to the article, "Purpose of appendix believed found," the appendix houses, protects and produces good germs that help protect your intestines. When good germs that humans naturally have in their bodies are purged, in cases of chlorea or dysentry, the appendix replenishes the body with the good germs.

According to the article, "If a person's gut flora dies, it can usually be repopulated easily with germs they pick up from other people. But before dense populations in modern times and during epidemics of cholera that affected a whole region, it wasn't as easy to grow back that bacteria and the appendix came in handy."

The appendix is not a necessary organ for humans to survive, but it does come in handy if one gets chlorea or dysentry. And the appendix is not important enough to attempt to keep if one gets appendicitis, when the appendix gets inflamed.

Does acupuncture really work?

Acupuncture is one of those things that you hear about in movies or magazines, but never really sure if it works. According to one study, acupuncture may be the number one alternative way to help deal with pain.

This study, appearing in the article, "5 alternative medicine treatments that work" by Elizabeth Cohen, eight respeced medical centers like Harvard and Stanford, found that acupuncture was also helpful when it came to nausea and chemotherapy.

Another article I found on acupuncture, called "Say 'ah' to acupuncture" by Catherine Price, explains a little more in detail what it is.

"Acupuncture teaches that the body contains two opposing forces: yin and yang. Together, they contribute to your chi (pronounced "chee"), a Chinese word roughly translated as 'vital energy.' If this energy flow is interrupted or blocked, it can cause pain and disease," writes Price. "Acupuncturists try to restore balance in the body by stimulating specific points, often by inserting thin metal needles into the skin. Sometimes electrical currents are even added to the needles to increase their effectiveness."

This article goes on to explain Price's experience with acupuncture--she had a sore back--and after the needles were inserted and taken out, she said the pain wasn't completely gone, but she felt much better and more relaxed.

For some other symptoms such as PMS or depression you might want to try the last four alternative medicine treatments and see what they can do for you.

Twice as much love from A-Basin

Arapahoe Basin, also known as A-Basin, is a favorite ski area among locals due to its great skiing and snow, along with its size. A-Basin is a very small, very localized ski area that is located west of Loveland Ski area and about six miles away from Keystone.

According to the article, "A-Basin looks for higher profile," earlier this year, A-Basin got the OK to expand the skiing area by 80% and opening a lift that takes skiiers and riders to the back side of the mountain. This $3 million expansion will bring 36 new runs and 400 acres to the once-tiny ski area.

I liked A-Basin because of its local feel-- there are no huge lines, no resorts and no tourists. You have to bring your own food and you get to park right at the lifts. I was slightly concerned when I read of the expansion, especially when I saw they added a restaraunt. But the resaraunt is ok--food is important when you are exercising vigorously like that--and they didn't add a resort or lodging of any sort.

For those environmentally conscious, only 1 percent of the trees in the ski area needed to be cut to make way for more terrain, according to the article. The top of the area is open bowls, and the bottom half is tree skiing. And about 50 acres below the bottom of the lift is all backcountry stuff.

And while season passes are sky-rocketing at other resorts, A-Basin's is staying relatively low. Check out A-Basin's website for pass prices, snowfall and more.