Category Archives: Health

Seeing red

Posted on July 13, 2011 | 2 Comments

I’ve seen a lot of articles online of late listing what’s hot and what’s not in the world of summer fashion.  Nothing too shocking, really — white, crochet and color blocking are all the rage.

Can I add my own entry to the ‘what’s not’ list?

SUNBURNS

Especially since the July 4th holiday weekend, I have seen more folks walking around my neighborhood burnt to a crisp.

And I’m sorry — there’s just no excuse for it.

In this day and age where there is a different sunscreen and sunblock lotion or cream for every skin type, time of day, and SPF imaginable, that kind of blood-red, all-over burn is unacceptable.

Sure, we’ve all gotten burnt ‘around the edges’ where we’ve missed rubbing in the lotion from time to time.  But not putting on any protection…when you’re out in the sun at the beach or on the boat all day?

That’s just stupid.

And don’t give me the ol’ song-and-dance about you doing this ‘all the time,’ or that ‘it fades into a tan.’

I’ll have to smack you in the sunburn.

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Posted in Beauty, Commentary, Fashion, Health, Humor, Life, Summer, Travel, Vacation

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Name calling

Posted on July 12, 2011 | 3 Comments

Have you ever heard of Gourmand Syndrome?

It occurs when a certain section of the brain’s right hemisphere is damaged.  Patients become obsessed with food…specifically ‘fine dining’ choices.

For example, a snowboarder recently sustained brain damage in a near-fatal accident and awoke from a coma experiencing intense cravings for basil pesto, a food he had no particular feelings for prior to the fall.

I’m fascinated by this disease…because I think I have its polar opposite.

You see, I experienced a hard blow to the head at an early age.  It wasn’t coma-worthy — just involved some stitches and a scar to the forehead.  But I think it may have made me obsessed with the ‘non-fine dining’ choices on menus.

Goodness knows that’s the type of food I crave to this day.  And if I can blame a whack on the head and call it Junk Food Syndrome — instead of a lack of self-control –

Sign me up.

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Posted in Comedy, Commentary, Dieting, Food, Foods, Health, Humor, Life, Restaurants

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Yawn

Posted on July 2, 2011 | Leave a comment

Wimbledon is a racket.

I look forward to it every year, and watch every moment of tennis that my schedule allows.

But this year?

My actual body clock reset itself to make sure of it.

I normally wake up around 7am every morning — without an alarm — to walk the dog.  But this year during Wimbledon, I have been popping out of bed between 5:30-6:00am

I know that the first hour of Wimbledon coverage on ESPN is bogus chit-chat, and the matches don’t start until 8:00am.  But my body doesn’t.  And I especially know that the weekend coverage doesn’t begin until 9:00am.

Go back to sleep.

(I’m not listening.)

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Posted in Health, Home, Humor, Life, Sports, Television, TV

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In the noodle

Posted on June 16, 2011 | Leave a comment

Would you take a punch for some pad thai?

It is yummy.

Stir-fried rice noodles, eggs, bean sprouts, and any combination of shrimp, chicken or tofu, garnished with crushed peanuts and lime juice.  When I’m at a Thai restaurant, I find it hard to order anything else.

But would I willingly get in a fist fight for my fav?

Two ladies in a Manhattan Trader Joe’s did.

The altercation started when one woman’s son ‘interfered’ with the other’s husband’s attempt to pick up a pad thai in the produce section.  Words were exchanged, followed by a slap.

Now the two families are continuing the clash in court, contesting an attempted harassment charge.

All over a package of pad thai — and vegan pad thai at that.

And I here I thought vegans were all about peace and love and serenity.  Just goes to show you…

Eating all that tofu makes you testy.

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Posted in Cooking, Dieting, Family, Foods, Green, Health, Home, Humor, Life, News, Shopping, Travel

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Walk walk

Posted on June 13, 2011 | 2 Comments

I was walking home from an early appointment this morning and waved to one of the doormen on my block.

“Sorry, I didn’t recognize you for a moment,” he said.

I’ve heard this one before.  “Because I don’t have the dog with me, right?”

“No,” he said.  “Because you’re walking so fast.  You and Rory normally just stroll along.”

This observation kind of took me aback.

I’ve always thought of myself as a fast walker — am in fact always being reprimanded by friends to “slow down” when we are walking together around the city.

I attribute my pace to my days at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.  The campus is sprawled out from North to South, and with only 10 minutes between some classes, you have to book — and I mean seriously motor — to get from one end to the other on time.

I thought my personal walk speed had been permanently reset.  Apparently Rory Dog has taught me how to slow down and enjoy the sights, sounds and people along the way.

Chalk up another life lesson to the “hairy human” in my life.

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Posted in Animals, Dogs, Exercise, Family, Friends, Health, Humor, Life, Relationships, Walking

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Just breathe

Posted on May 31, 2011 | Leave a comment

For just one day…

…wouldn’t it be nice?

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Posted in Advertising, Commentary, Death, Environment, Health, Life, Love, Philosophy

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Up all night

Posted on May 29, 2011 | 1 Comment

I was a bit under the weather Friday and slept about 30 minutes the entire night. It was agony.

How do people who suffer from chronic insomnia deal?

I was doing a bit of reading on the subject online and discovered The Insomnia Blog by Dr. Michael Breus, a clinical psychologist and self-proclaimed “Sleep Doctor.”

Dr. Breus has a formula that he says will help you get all the sleep you need; wake up before the alarm goes off; and keep you from gaining the weight that can sometimes go along with insomnia.

This guy must be rich.

Here’s what he recommends:

  1. Figure out your typical wake up time
  2. Count back 7.5 hours
  3. Set an alarm to tell you when to go to bed  (and go!)
  4. If you wake up 10 minutes before your morning alarm for three days, you have found your perfect bedtime.
  5. If you still need your morning alarm to wake up, then move your bedtime back by 15 minutes until you wake up just before your morning alarm.

After reading this, I realize why I don’t usually have insomnia.

  • I usually get about 7-8 hours sleep.
  • Rory Dog is the ‘alarm’ that tells me to go to bed.
  • I wake up each morning before my morning alarm goes off (Rory Dog again).

I’m cured.

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Posted in Blog, Blogs, Dieting, Dogs, Exercise, Health, Humor, Life, News

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No butts

Posted on May 23, 2011 | Leave a comment

And breathe, just breathe,
Woah breathe, just breathe… — Anna Nalick

Come to New York City — it’s a great place to breathe!

Effective today, smoking is banned in public spaces, including parks, beaches, and pedestrian plazas.  That means your stroll through Central Park, Times Square and other popular spots where tourists gather won’t be polluted with cigarette smoke.

Smokers who violate the ban will be given one warning, then charged a $50 fine.  The New York City Parks Department, not police officers, will enforce the ban.

Way to go, Mayor Bloomberg.

Everyone doesn’t share my happiness.  A ‘smoke-in’ is scheduled today at City Hall by the New York Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment to protest the ban.

So, there’s one place where breathing will be especially hazardous to your health today.  But for the rest of the city, breathe in!

Second-hand smoke just got the ol’ one-two punch.



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Posted in Commentary, Environment, Health, Life, News, Philosophy, Politics, Travel

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What he said

Posted on May 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

Females of the world, take note.

If you’ve ever wondered what would capture the attention of men young or old, married or single, here’s your answer:

BAZINGA t-shirt

I’ll explain.

I attended the matinee performance of the revival of The Normal Heart on Broadway yesterday.  Jim Parsons — Dr. Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory — makes his Broadway debut in the play.  That’s why I went.  That’s why I wore the tee (with a black leather jacket).  Girl’s gotta represent.

I certainly didn’t expect to get smiles and hellos from every guy I passed — some with their wives and girlfriends in tow.

I also never expected to be mesmerized by this play.

The Normal Heart takes place during the rise of the AIDS crisis in New York City, centering around the experience of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the gay Jewish founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group.

Joe Mantello, who plays Ned, gives a master class in acting.  Joe normally spends his time behind the scenes, directing award-winning Broadway productions.  Assassins.  Wicked.  Take Me Out.  Angels in America: Millennium Approaches.

Yep.  Those were all Joe.

He is surrounded by an amazing ensemble cast in The Normal Heart. John Benjamin Hickey (The Big C), who plays Ned’s lover Felix,  is the heart of the play, and Ellen Barkin, as the doctor fighting this new unknown disease, is its backbone, strong and sure.  (All three are nominated for Tony Awards, deservedly so.)

The Normal Heart is shades of light and dark, funny and sad, bitter and sweet.  I learned a lot about New York City and its response — or lack there of — to the AIDS crisis.  I saw some incredible performances.  I shed a tear or two.

And I learned the power of a tee.  Not a bad afternoon.


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Posted in Broadway, Celebrities, Commentary, Education, Entertainment, Health, History, Humor, Life, Love, Television, TV

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Smile!

Posted on May 8, 2011 | 1 Comment

A good friend’s son recently announced on Facebook that he was getting braces.

His status updates on the big event were a countdown of sorts, beginning the day before, then that morning.  After the orthodontist had done the deed, he posted, “Four hours down, 21 months to go.”

Oh, how I know that feeling.

I had braces, too.  In fact, my mother had three kids in braces (and would have had four if my oldest brother hadn’t conveniently knocked out his front teeth in a bicycle accident and required more drastic measures).

Of all the gifts my mother gave me in life — and there were too many to list here — I look back on those two years in braces with much love and gratitude.  I know they were costly, especially multiplied by three.  But what an investment they were for our future health and happiness.

Plus, since the orthodontist was in Paducah, Kentucky — a 30-minute drive from my hometown — the monthly check-ups meant missing a half-day of school.  Oh, how I loved those trips with Mom!  We’d get the dental appointment out of the way, then go shopping or eat.

And she’d always made sure there was a treat I could eat (since so much was nixed by my mouth full of metal).

So, I hope my friend can appreciate his time ‘under the wire.’  Thanks to my mom, it put the smile on my face.

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Posted in Beauty, Children, Commentary, Family, Fashion, Health, Holiday, Humor, Life, Relationships

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