Adults Aren't Getting the Vaccinations They Need

You keep up with your child’s vaccinations like clockwork. But did you know there are some vaccines adults need, too? Leading medical experts say many of us aren’t doing a good job keeping up with these critical shots and it’s dangerous. American adults are dying because they didn’t roll up their sleeves and many others are getting very sick because of it. Leanne Flaig-Hutchinson knows all about it after a serious health threat last year. “I was scared to death that yes, I was going to die. I had severe chills. My bones were aching from my head to my toes.”

She had to be treated for swine flu and her case was complicated by pneumonia, something that could have been avoided if she had received the pneumonia vaccine. You see, she has a chronic condition that impacts her autoimmune system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that people with chronic conditions get the pneumonia vaccine, but Leanne didn’t know. The CDC is warning a lack of awareness can be a real issue, especially during flu season. Dr. Carol Friedman, CDC Associate Director for Adult Immunizations, clarifies, “Definitely there is a relationship between H1N1 influenza infection and bacterial pneumonia and so it is highly recommended that individuals get the pneumococcal vaccine who are at risk.”

Starting Chemotherapy: 15 Nutrition Tips

If you are undergoing chemotherapy, you want to stay as healthy and comfortable as possible during treatment. What you eat during treatment can make a big difference in helping you achieve that goal.

“Chemotherapy and radiation treatments place their own burdens on the nutrition system in addition to the cancer itself,” explains Charlie Pieterick, RN, MS, ARNP, a nurse practitioner with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

Everyone’s experience during chemotherapy is different, so WebMD offers a variety of nutrition and food tips to help you deal with unpleasant side effects.

Feeling a Cold Coming on? The #1 Thing to Do, According to One Expert

Do you have a scratchy throat? A little more congestion than normal? Worry that a cold is coming on? Then try this oddball remedy that people are buzzing about...

What to do when you feel a cold or virus coming on? Head to the kitchen--fast--and chew a clove of raw garlic. "Any time I feel that feeling at the top of your throat that something is happening, I immediately go for the garlic," says Gene Stone, the author of the new book, The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick. "I don't like the taste; I think it leaves bad breath in my mouth, so I always have a small piece of chocolate nearby and then I munch on (odor-neutralizing) fresh parsley."

15 Powerful Life Lessons

If someone were to ask you to share your most important life lessons, messages or quotes what would top your list?

1. True living is more than just keeping your heart beating and a roof over your head. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that is “just how life goes.” There’s way more possibilities, and, yes, IT IS WORTH GOING AFTER. Be daring.

2. Stop blowing yourself off; we get so upset when others blow off our ideas and desires, but we have no problem doing it to ourselves. Take your ideas, feelings, wants, wishes, yearns & urges seriously–those are your only true guide. Other people have no idea what’s best for you, so stop seeking their validation. Do what you need to do for you. Be confident.

Big Lunch Blues: Getting Energy at the Table

Of all possible ways to eat, indulging in a big lunch is one of the worst. You’re probably aware that going without breakfast is bad for you, but you probably don’t know that a big midday meal doesn’t even the score. Lunch is not a pick-me-up; it actually pulls your energy down. A recent study found that a group of people who ate a large lunch lost as much efficiency when they returned to work as if they’d gone with a whole night’s sleep. On the other hand, a separate ten-year-study found that eating breakfast increases efficiency. Another study of adolescents, found that kids do better in school when they eat breakfast.

How to Avoid the Over-Eating Trap

Strategies for feeling full while shedding pounds from Michael T. Murray, N.D., and Michael R. Lyon, M.D., natural-medicine and weight-loss experts and co-authors of Hunger Free Forever: The New Science of Appetite Control

If you're like most of us, your mother probably always warned you not to eat before your meals lest you spoil your appetite. At our center, we teach people something quite contrary. In reality your worst enemy is excessive hunger and you need to avoid, at all costs, sitting down to a meal when you are more than just mildly hungry. Many of our overweight patients have great discipline over their eating habits for part of the day. Many skip breakfast and eat a very light lunch, but their real eating begins when they get home. The majority of overweight people really seem to enjoy diving into their evening meal when they are as hungry as a bear coming out of hibernation. They tend to gobble down their food, often having seconds or even thirds followed by desserts, and then nibbling throughout the evening.

Why grief can actually change your brain

The recent tragedy in Arizona isn’t just fodder for political debate, but an example of how, collectively, we react to loss. On a more personal level, a 2008 study illustrated just how widespread the effect of negative personal events can be, and how deeply the brain reacts to grief.

Three finance professors from major business schools tracked the performance of 75,000 Danish companies in the 2 years before and after the CEO had experienced a family death. Financial performance declined 20% after the loss of a child, 15% after the death of a spouse, and almost 10% after the demise of any other family member.

New Year, Same Old You?

The new year is just 11 days old, and yet it already has a distinct personality: strong, and bright, economically speaking, yet cranky as a newborn, resolution-wise. Some people I know have successfully given up sugar, gotten to the gym most mornings and even paid off the holiday bills. Others, and this would include me, have had small victories like running (consistent workouts were never my problem) and some relapses, like the big Chinese dinner last night, the inhalation of chocolate in the art department last Thursday, and of course, the fact that I rarely get the amount of sleep I truly need.

A Diet to Suit the Season

The seasonal shift affects our bodies more than we imagine. As those of us in the Northern Hemisphere deal with colder weather, it's important to adjust what we eat to suit our signs so we can remain at optimum physical well-being.

Aries is constantly on the go and doesn't always eat sensibly; in winter, it's even more vital that they remember to nurture their bodies. Eating good carbohydrates and upping their fat intake slightly should help keep them running at full speed.

Taurus never needs any prompting to switch to heavier food; quite the reverse, actually! They just need to be careful they don't overdo it on bread, potatoes and sweet desserts. They're best off focusing on proteins to give them vitality.

5 weight-loss truths hidden in trendy diets

It’s January and many of us have weight loss on the brain. Perhaps you’re psyched about using the latest, greatest plan to slim down this “diet season.” Honestly, I’ve never been a fan of trendy, fad diets. They make ridiculous promises. Sure, you may drop 10 pounds in a week eating cabbage soup and little else, but once you go back to eating like a normal person you’ll gain it right back.

That’s the biggest problem with most fad diets: they generally don’t give you eating patterns that you can stick to long-term. Essentially, they set you up to fail. (Get a healthy 28-day weight-loss meal plan of delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes to help you shed pounds here.)