Foods That Fight Aging

Who doesn’t want to look younger? Most of us are looking for the next new way to maintain our youthful looks and energy. Unfortunately, there is no “magic pill” to turn back the clocks — yet! And turning to Botox, liposuction or other quick fixes are not the answers in the long run. The best ways to slow the aging process is simple:

Eating smart.

The Age Accelerators

The Whites: White bread, white potatoes, white rice, and all things sugary taste great but go straight to the hips. They are also not good for your skin. The simple carbohydrates turns to sugar or glucose in the body, and they can be the skin’s enemy. Too much of it can cause acne and also strip the skin of elasticity. Your best alternative is to always go whole grain.

4 Steps to Being Worry Free

Even though she said her life was pretty good, Carol,* 48, came to see me because she couldn’t stop worrying about what would happen if her husband lost his job or if her son’s struggles in school would mean that he’d never get into college. “A lot of the time, I have this feeling that something terrible is about to happen, and really, I don’t even know what it is,” she told me. I call this a case of the “what-ifs.” “What if I’m late to work and I miss my meeting?” Or worse: “What if this stomachache is actually an ulcer?” “What if my child is late coming home from school because she’s been kidnapped?” The truth is, everyone worries. And some worrying actually helps you cope and function. Being stressed out about a big meeting, for example, can help motivate you to prepare for it. But too much worrying creates tension and anxiety, which zaps concentration, making you unable to cope.

Cirrhosis of the Liver

The liver weighs about 3 pounds and is the largest solid organ in the body. It performs many important functions, such as:

* Manufacturing blood proteins that aid in clotting, oxygen transport, and immune system function.

* Storing excess nutrients and returning some of the nutrients to the bloodstream.

* Manufacturing bile, a substance needed to help digest food.

* Helping the body store sugar (glucose) in the form of glycogen.

* Ridding the body of harmful substances in the bloodstream, including drugs and alcohol.

* Breaking down saturated fat and producing cholesterol.

Arizona Shooting Aftermath: When a Nation Mourns Together

Saturday's tragic massacre in Arizona -- which left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords critically wounded and six people dead, including a 9-year-old girl -- has sent ripples of grief and anger across the country.

When this type of national tragedy occurs, there's a sense of collective sadness. It's the kind of emotion we felt on 9/11, the day of the Oklahoma City bombing and in the aftermath of the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings.

These unspeakable tragedies -- though they don't directly impact most of us -- have an effect on our emotional state. Here's how to process the grief and confusion:

"Events like this stand out and affect us because they are such an injustice, and so unnecessary and so unfair," says George A. Bonanno, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology at Columbia University and Author of The Other Side of Sadness.

Why you shouldn't beg your doctor for an antibiotic

Feeling sick? Your doctor may weigh the evidence and say you don't need an antibiotic. If you insist, chances are, she'll sigh, pull out her script pad, and give you one just to get your annoying self out of her office. Physicians are busy people who don't necessarily feel like giving you a lesson in Antibiotics 101 during your three-minute visit.

"Patients will, in many cases, insist that they be given an antibiotic," says Frank Myers, the director of clinical epidemiology at Scripps Mercy Hospital, in San Diego. Some even threaten to see another doctor if they don’t get the drugs.

However, there are a lot of really good reasons why you should meekly leave the doctor's office empty handed, save for the standard advice to get enough fluids and bed rest.

What Is Your Body Capable Of?

Is your body out of shape? Do you want to become fit? No matter how unfit you are right now, it’s not too late to get your body back into shape. All you need to do is to establish and maintain an exercise routine.

In this post, I’ll share with you what has worked for me.

At the beginning of last year, I resolved to get back into regular exercise after a six-year break due to problems with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Now, twelve months later, I’m training in the martial arts again. I’ve turned into a runner, and I’m more fit than I was seven years ago. But I couldn’t have done it all on my own.

In order to find support, I started an 8-week Fitness Challenge on my blog Goodlife ZEN in October of last year. Over one hundred people joined (including Leo Babauta). It was so successful that I’ve now kicked off the Great Fitness Challenge 2011 with over 300 participants. Anyone is welcome - no matter how fit or unfit. What unites us all is the aspiration to improve fitness and lift overall well-being.

7 Timeless Tips That Will Supercharge Your Body, Mind, And Soul

Meaning, purpose, fulfillment, and happiness are essential ingredients in our lives.

Sometimes getting more of them can seem impossible. We’re plagued by the uncertainty of the future, and we have no idea what our purpose is.

Those are big questions that cannot be answered in the blink of an eye, and today instead of focusing on them, we’ll look at seven simple ways that will improve your body, mind, and soul.

And we both know that the better you feel, the better you can follow your intuition and eventually find your true purpose.

It all adds up.

1. Drink Water

A no-brainer, right? Still most people don’t drink enough water, and it can’t be just any kind of water. Did you know that the tap water in many of the western countries is filled with chemicals and even drugs in some cases? Here’s just one example.

50 Ideas for a Healthy Lifestyle that take 10 Minutes or Less

What is a Healthy Lifestyle?

According to a study by Michigan State University, a healthy lifestyle is defined by four basic criteria:

* Not smoking

* Holding weight down

* Eating right

* Exercising

Of the 153,000 respondents, only 3% participated in all four of what are termed healthy lifestyle characteristics.

“We have millions of people now going through adult life leading unhealthy lifestyles and a medical system that can treat illnesses and keep you alive longer than ever before,” said Mathew Reeves, a Michigan State University epidemiologist. “If we don’t turn this around, the costs to society are going to be crippling.”

What Is Serotonin Syndrome?

Serotonin is a chemical produced by the body that enables brain cells and other nervous system cells to communicate with one another. Too little serotonin in the brain is thought to play a role in depression. Too much, however, can lead to excessive nerve cell activity, causing a potentially deadly collection of symptoms known as serotonin syndrome or serotonin reuptake syndrome.

Serotonin Syndrome Symptoms

Serotonin syndrome symptoms often begin within hours of taking a new medication or increasing the dose of one you are already taking. Symptoms may include:

* Confusion

* Agitation or restlessness

Psychotic Depression

Psychotic depression occurs when a severe depressive illness has a co-existing form of psychosis. The psychosis could be hallucinations, delusions, or some other break with reality. Psychotic depression affects roughly one out of every four people who is admitted to the hospital for depression.

How Is Psychotic Depression Different From Major or Clinical Depression?

In addition to the symptoms of clinical depression, such as feeling hopeless, worthless, and helpless, psychotic depression also has features of psychosis. For instance, a person with psychotic depression may have hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren't really there) or delusions (irrational thoughts and fears).