Vox Talking Kitchen Scale - 081533421

Vox Talking Kitchen Scale - 081533421

 

Can be used by anyone who wants to weigh food in either grams or ounces. The weight capacity is 6 lbs. 10 oz. There is a tare function if you want the weight of the food excluding the weight of the bowl. Includes an easily replaceable 9-volt battery. The platform measures 9" x 6" x 1".  

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Hot/Cold Therapeutic Cervical Pillow - HC1

Hot/Cold Therapeutic Cervical Pillow - HC1

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Removable gel pack positioned in cervical vertebrae area offers hot or cold treatment. Microwave the pack for hot therapy, freeze it for cold. Pillow filled with high-quality polyester for soft support.

Replacement gel pack - item #HP1 (sold separately). 

 

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Ice It ColdCOMFORT Therapy Systems - BT516

Ice It ColdCOMFORT Therapy Systems - BT516

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Non-toxic Ice It packs freeze quicker, maintain low temperature longer, and stay flexible when frozen, to mold around painful areas for optimum therapeutic benefit. Insulated design retains cold longer, protects skin and prevents condensation. Comfort-Flex elastic strap secures the system and provides customized compression, allowing the user to maintain activities during cold therapy. Plush Stay-Put cover is fully removable, for machine wash and dry. Several configurations available to conform to specific area of the body requiring cold therapy. 

 

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The Newest Superfoods You Should Try

By Lisa Collier Cool
Nov 18, 2013

Health Blogs Main

Day in Health

by Lisa Collier Cool

More Articles »

A new superfood could give the flu shot a powerful run for its money. But it's not the food, exactly—it's the bacteria growing on a traditional Japanese pickle that has amazing flu-fighting benefits.
Human clinical trials have been launched after researchers found that an immune-boosting probiotic from Suguki (a pickled turnip popular in Japan) blocked transmission of the H1N1 virus in mice who were exposed to it, according to a new study published in the SfAM journal, Letters in Applied Microbiology.
The probiotic bacterium, called Lactobacillus brevis, increases production of flu-specific antibodies, the scientists report, and may also help ward off other viral infections, including the deadly H7N9 flu, which has recently emerged in China.
This pickled treat isn’t the only new superfood on the horizon—let’s take a closer look at the latest research on six other foods that may soon bear the “super” title.

Jicama Cuts Cancer Risk And Keeps You Looking Young

This tasty root vegetable is being hailed as the “next big superfood,” due to its bounty of health benefits. It’s a good source of a prebiotic called inulin, a belly-flattening fiber that helps raise levels of “friendly bacteria in the gut and may reduce risk for colon cancer.
Also known as the Mexican yam or water chestnut, the crunchy vegetable may also combat wrinkles by increasing collagen. What’s more, Japanese researchers reported earlier this year that an extract of jicama fiber appears to have beneficial effects on the immune system in animal and lab tests.
20 Disturbing Facts About Cosmetics

Chia Seeds Reduce Triglycerides and Blood Sugar

An ancient healing food whose name is derived from the Mayan word for “strength,” these super-seeds have similar benefits to flax seeds, including heart-protective Omega fatty acids, fiber, antioxidants, and protein.
A 2012 randomized clinical trial reports that people whose diet included a beverage containing Chia seeds, nopal (prickly pear), oats, and soy protein had striking improvements in triglycerides, levels of C-reactive protein (an inflammatory marker), blood sugar and insulin sensitivity, compared to those given a placebo beverage.
All the participants had metabolic syndrome and followed a reduced-calorie diet for two months, resulting in loss of weight and belly fat.

Tart Cherries: Ultimate Antioxidant and Natural Painkiller

This tangy fruit may be the ultimate antioxidant, as well as a natural painkiller, with a 2012  study reporting that it has “the highest anti-inflammatory content of any food.”
The researchers found that when osteoarthritis sufferers drank tart cherry juice twice a day for three weeks, their inflammatory markers fell significantly.
“With millions of Americans looking for ways to naturally manage pain, it's promising that tart cherries can help, without the possible side effects often associated with arthritis medications," said Kerry Kuehl, MD, Dr.PH., M.S., Oregon Health & Science University, principal study investigator, in the press release.
"I'm intrigued by the potential for a real food to offer such a powerful anti-inflammatory benefit,” adds Dr. Kuehl.

Chocolate Wards Off Belly Fat and Obesity

While this may sound too good to be true, the more chocolate teens eat, the less total fat and belly fat they are likely to have, a surprising new study published in Nutrition reports.
What’s more, this association held true even when exercise, total energy (calorie) intake, and a variety of dietary factors were taken into account. The study included 1,458 kids ages 12 to 17, and may the largest of its kind to date.
Lead study author Magdalena Cuenca-García, PhD, explains in a statement that while chocolate is high in calories, sugar and fat, “recent studies in adults suggest chocolate consumption is associated with a lower risk of cardiometabolic disorders.” Another recent study from the University of California on adult participants also linked chocolate consumption to lower body mass index (BMI).
The sweet treat is high in flavonoids—especially catechins—which have many health perks, Cuenca-García adds. “They have important antioxidant, antithrombotic, anti-inflammatory and antihypertensive effects and can help prevent ischemic heart disease.”
Bradley Bale, MD, medical director of the Heart Health Program for Grace Clinic in Lubbock, Texas, actually “prescribes” dark chocolate for patients who have heart disease or are at high risk for it. However, he cautions that it’s possible to get too much of a good thing. “A square or two a day is all you need for heart health.”
Tomato-Rich Recipes to Lower Your Risk of Stroke

Wild Blueberries Fight Heart Disease and Diabetes

Also hot off the presses is a brand new study on the health benefits of wild blueberries, coming out of the University of Maine and published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.
The researchers found that eating two cups of wild blueberries regularly can improve or prevent metabolic syndrome, a deadly gang of metabolic thugs that double risk for heart attack and quintuple it for type 2 diabetes, as I explained in a recent article.
Fifty million Americans, many of them undiagnosed, suffer from metabolic syndrome, marked by such disorders as high triglycerides, low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and a large waistline.
The study was conducted on rats with metabolic syndrome. Another recent study on human participants, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, found that wild blueberry juice is a powerful antioxidant that helps prevent damage to DNA.
Blueberries of the non-wild variety are packed with benefits, too. As I reported in August, the Nurses’ Health Study—which included more than 90,000 women—revealed that blueberries may help prevent heart attacks and preserve memory in older adults.

Tree Nuts May Help Prevent Deadly Cancer

Women who eat one ounce of tree nuts—including almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, macadamias, pistachios, walnuts, and hazelnuts—two or more times a week have a significantly lower risk for pancreatic cancer, according to a new study published in British Journal of Cancer. The study included more than 75,000 participants in the Nurses Health Study.
Pancreatic cancer ranks as the fourth leading cause of cancer death, yet has few modifiable risk factors. In fact, the main one identified in earlier research is obesity. And while nuts are relatively high in calories, the researchers report that in the study, women who ate the most tree nuts had a lower rate of weight gain and obesity than those who ate the least.
Tree nuts have also been linked to lower threat of diabetes, a risk factor for pancreatic cancer.  Additionally, as I recently reported, eating nuts, along with a Mediterranean  diet, reduces stroke risk by 46 percent.

Economy Resistive Pedal Exerciser (Pedlar) - 10-0711

Economy Resistive Pedal Exerciser (Pedlar) - 10-0711

 

 Product Description

Drive Medical's Exercise Peddler is the perfect therapy solution for people who want to rehabilitate their legs or arms to receive better circulation. The resistance can easily be adjusted with a tension screw making it ideal for toning leg and arm muscles.

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Material: Steel
Latex: Latex Free
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Electrodes for TENS Units and EMS/NMES Units (Pads) - ProM-020

Electrodes for TENS Units and EMS/NMES Units (Pads) - ProM-020

Product Description

Electrodes for TENS Units and EMS/NMES Units (Pads) are White Foam AU Conductor reusable electrodes for multiple applications up to 10 - 15 days. 

 

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Why Coke Is a Joke—New Ad Campaign Defends Aspartame

August 28, 2013 | 338,138 views

| Disponible en Español

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By Dr. Mercola

Earlier this year, Coca-Cola Company rolled out an ad campaign encouraging people to unite in the fight against obesity. The irony of the situation was not lost on most people however, and the ads drew fire from consumers, consumer advocates and obesity experts^1,2 alike.

After all, there’s no doubt that soda is one of the primary beverages responsible for skyrocketing obesity rates, and Coke’s campaign was seen as little more than an effort in damage control.

Soda sales are down, and Coca-Cola should be applauding this fact as it is matched by some small improvements with our childhood obesity rates. Instead, they are marketing sodas harder than ever to make up for lost sales.

Coca-Cola believes a calorie is just a calorie, and if you consume more than you burn - that's why you become obese. In other words, their products and marketing to children are not to blame - the problem is that Americans just don't exercise enough.

Now, Coca-Cola Co. has launched another ad campaign—this time to assure consumers that its no- or low-calorie beverages containing the artificial sweetener aspartame are a safe alternative. As reported in the featured article by AdWeek³:

“It's Coca-Cola's first ad explicitly defending its use of artificial sweeteners in an ad, but the print execution is an extension of the company's campaign, launched this January, to combat detractors who blame it for contributing to obesity, by pointing to the host of diet and other beverages it sells beyond traditional, sugary cola.”

According to the ad, aspartame is a “safe, high-quality alternative to sugar." Clearly they’ve not reviewed the hundreds of studies on this artificial sweetener demonstrating its harmful effects... Center for Science in the Public Interest’s (CSPI) Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson issued the following statement in response to Coca-Cola’s new ad⁴:

“Aspartame has been found to cause cancer⁵ — leukemia, lymphoma, and other tumors—in laboratory animals, and it shouldn’t be in the food supply.

We certainly want Coca-Cola to shift its product mix toward lower- and no-calorie drinks, but aspartame’s reputation isn’t worth rehabilitating with this propaganda campaign. The company would be better off phasing out its use of aspartame and accelerating its research into safer, natural sweeteners such as those extracted from the stevia plant.”

Sweet Beverages Linked to Skyrocketing Childhood Obesity Rates

As recently reported in the Guardian Express⁶, kids are 40 percent heavier today compared to just 25 years ago, and a growing number of studies have linked rising childhood obesity rates to increased consumption of sugary beverages—including those sweetened with no- or low-cal sweeteners:

“Aspartame has arguably been found to have the effects of increasing the appetite, fat storage stimulation, carbohydrate cravings and weight gain.

In addition to aspartame, one cup of your child’s favorite sugary drink contains nearly 11 teaspoons of sugar, at 128 calories per serving. If you equate that to a child having, on average, one cup of any soft drink containing these ingredients with each meal that is an additional 384 calories or more each day just in beverages,” the Guardian Express writes.

As a general rule, the beverage industry has denied or strongly downplayed its role in the childhood obesity epidemic, despite the fact that beverage companies spend over $1 billion annually on youth-targeted marketing—especially in school settings. According to the Guardian Express, 80 percent of American schools have contracts with Coke or Pepsi to stock their products in school vending machines.
It’s an untenable position, really. Clearly, marketing WORKS, or else they wouldn’t be doing it, and when ads target an audience of 2- to 17-year olds, it’s hardly an accident that kids in that age range opt for soda whenever they’re given a chance!
Americans currently get a majority of their daily calories from sugar, primarily in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in soda and other sweetened beverages.
Half of the US population over the age of two consumes sugary drinks on a daily basis⁷, and this figure does not even include 100% fruit juices, flavored milk or sweetened teas, all of which are sugary too, which means the figure is actually even higher.
Yet this is only one side of the equation. On the other, you have artificially sweetened beverages (and other “diet” foods), which, contrary to popular belief, carry just as much responsibility for the stubborn rise in obesity. Your body simply isn’t fooled by the lack of calories in these sweetened products, and studies have repeatedly confirmed that artificial sweeteners appear to cause even greater weight gain than calorie-laden sweeteners.

Falling for Flawed Calorie-Counting Advice Is a Costly Mistake

Coca-Cola’s multi-million dollar “anti-obesity” campaign focuses on the outdated idea that all calories are equal, regardless of where they come from, and that consuming more calories than you burn off results in weight gain⁸. It’s well worth noting that this “conventional wisdom” has been firmly debunked by science. It is in fact FAR more important to look at the source of the calories than counting them. Even Weight Watchers, the world’s largest diet company, finally recognized this two years ago.
The truth is, you do not get fat because you eat too many calories and don't exercise enough. You get fat because you eat the wrong kind of calories. At the end of the day, your consumption of carbohydrates, whether in the form of grains and sugars (especially fructose), will determine whether or not you're able to manage your weight and maintain optimal health.
This is because these types of carbs (fructose and grains) affect the hormone insulin, which is a very potent fat regulator. Meanwhile, fats and proteins affect insulin to a far lesser degree.
Unfortunately, calorie-counting is still a popular misconception, around which an entire industry of “diet” foods and beverages utilizing artificial no- or low-calorie sweeteners has been built. Alas, research has repeatedly shown that artificially sweetened “diet” drinks and foods actually tend to:

• Stimulate your appetite
• Increase cravings for carbs, and
• Stimulate fat storage and weight gain

Artificial Sweeteners Actually INCREASE Weight Gain

It is my belief that the FTC should sue Coke and the other diet soda manufacturers, for fraudulent advertising as there are no studies showing that the use of diet sodas cause one to lose weight. In fact, they actually have been shown to cause weight gain. A 2012 study published in the journal Appetite⁹ showed that saccharin and aspartame both cause greater weight gain than sugar. In this study, rats were fed plain yogurt sweetened with either aspartame, saccharin, or sugar, plus their regular rat chow, for 12 weeks. According to the researchers¹⁰:

“Results showed that addition of either saccharin or aspartame to yogurt resulted in increased weight gain compared to addition of sucrose, however total caloric intake was similar among groups.”

The reason for the similar calorie consumption between the groups was due to increased chow consumption by the rats given artificially sweetened yogurt. This type of compensation has been found in previous studies¹¹ as well, indicating that when your body gets a hit of sweet taste without the calories to go with it, it adversely affects your appetite control mechanisms, causing increased food cravings. This connection between sweet taste alone and increased hunger can be found in the medical literature going back at least two decades. These two studies, for example, dating back to the late 80s and early 90s, both showed this link between artificial sweeteners and increased hunger:

• Physiology & Behavior, 1988¹² – In this study, they determined that intense (no- or low-calorie) sweeteners can produce significant changes in appetite. Of the three sweeteners tested, aspartame produced the most pronounced effects.
• Physiology & Behavior 1990¹³ – Here, they again evaluated whether or not the mere taste of “sweet” increases hunger, by having human subjects chew gum for 15 minutes containing various levels of aspartame (0.05%, 0.3%, 0.5%, or 1.0%).

Interestingly, although those who chewed artificially sweetened gum reported increased hunger compared to the control group who were given nothing or unsweetened gum base to chew, the increase did not directly correlate with the aspartame concentration in the gum. Women experienced the greatest increase in hunger after chewing gum containing 0.3 percent aspartame (the second lowest concentration amount), while men were the hungriest after chewing on gum containing 0.5 percent aspartame. The authors stated:

“The highest aspartame concentrations had a time-dependent, biphasic effect on appetite, producing a transient decrease followed by a sustained increase in hunger ratings. Thus, the concentration of the sweetener, the sex of the subject, and the time after chewing, were all important determinants of whether 'sweetness' increased hunger".

Diet Soda Linked to Same Health Problems as Regular Soda

Artificial sweeteners also appear to cause many other health effects typically associated with high sugar consumption. Most recently, a report published in the journal Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism¹⁴ highlighted the fact that diet soda drinkers suffer the same exact health problems as those who opt for regular soda, such as excessive weight gain, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke^15,16. The authors—who were “shocked” at the results—looked at studies published in the past five years that examine the relationship between diet soda consumption and health outcomes:

“This paper discusses these findings and considers the hypothesis that consuming sweet-tasting but noncaloric or reduced-calorie food and beverages interferes with learned responses that normally contribute to glucose and energy homeostasis. Because of this interference, frequent consumption of high-intensity sweeteners may have the counterintuitive effect of inducing metabolic derangements,” they write.

Recent research has also demonstrated that aspartame worsens insulin sensitivity to a greater degree than sugar, which is quite the blow for diabetics who obediently follow the recommendation to switch to diet sodas to manage their condition. The researchers used a dosage of aspartame that approximates the ADI for aspartame in the US (approx. 50 mg/kg body weight), and not only was aspartame found to decrease insulin sensitivity compared to controls, it also wrought havoc on brain function.

The Biological Explanation Behind Aspartame’s Harmful Side Effects

According to the “aspartame safety” page¹⁷ issued by the Coca-Cola Company Beverage Institute for Health & Wellness, “when aspartame is digested, your body breaks it down into aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol.” Methanol is one of the root problems with aspartame. However, Coca-Cola (and many other food and beverage manufacturers) often misleadingly counter the claims of methanol being a harmful aspect of aspartame by pointing out that it also occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables.
For instance, Coca-Cola writes:

“Compared to amounts obtained from an aspartame-sweetened beverage, these components are consumed in much greater amounts from a variety of foods, including milk, meat, dried beans, fruits and vegetables... a serving of tomato juice provides about six times more methanol, compared to an equivalent serving of a beverage sweetened with aspartame.”

So why would methanol cause a problem in aspartame if it’s harmless in fruits and vegetables? There are two main points that need to be understood here:

1. Aspartame is primarily made up of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. The phenylalanine has been synthetically modified to carry a methyl group, which provides the majority of the sweetness. That phenylalanine methyl bond, called a methyl ester, is very weak, which allows the methyl group on the phenylalanine to easily break off and form methanol. This is in sharp contrast to naturally-occurring methanol found in certain fruits and vegetables, where it is firmly bonded to pectin, allowing the methanol to be safely passed through your digestive tract.
2. Your body metabolizes methyl alcohol differently than every other animal. All animals, with the exception of humans, have a protective mechanism that allows methanol to be broken down into harmless formic acid. This is why toxicology testing on animals is a flawed model. It doesn't fully apply to humans.
Here’s how this works: Both animals and humans have small structures called peroxisomes in each cell. There are a couple of hundred in every cell of your body, which are designed to detoxify a variety of chemicals. Peroxisome contains catalase, which help detoxify methanol. Other chemicals in the peroxisome convert the formaldehyde to formic acid, which is harmless, but this last step occurs only in animals. When methanol enters the peroxisome of every animal except humans, it gets into that mechanism. Humans do have the same number of peroxisomes in comparable cells as animals, but human peroxisomes cannot convert the toxic formaldehyde into harmless formic acid.
So, in humans, methanol ends up acting as a Trojan horse. It’s carried into susceptible tissues in your body, like your brain and bone marrow, where an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) converts it into formaldehyde. And since there's no catalase present, the formaldehyde is free to cause enormous damage in your tissues.

Are Your Health Problems Related to Aspartame?

Symptoms from methanol poisoning include headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances, weakness, vertigo, chills, memory lapses, numbness and shooting pains in the extremities, behavioral disturbances, and neuritis. The most well known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems including misty vision, progressive contraction of visual fields, blurring of vision, obscuration of vision, retinal damage, and blindness. Meanwhile, formaldehyde is a known carcinogen that causes retinal damage, interferes with DNA replication and may cause birth defects.
Symptoms of methanol poisoning are very similar to the side effects of aspartame. Unfortunately, aspartame toxicity is not well known by physicians, despite its frequency. Diagnosis is also hampered by the fact that it mimics several other common health conditions. It’s quite possible that you could be having a reaction to artificial sweeteners and not even know it, or be blaming it on another cause. To determine if you're having a reaction to artificial sweeteners, take the following steps:

• Eliminate all artificial sweeteners from your diet for two weeks.
• After two weeks of being artificial sweetener-free, reintroduce your artificial sweetener of choice in a significant quantity (about three servings daily).
• Avoid other artificial sweeteners during this period.
• Do this for one to three days and notice how you feel, especially as compared to when you were consuming no artificial sweeteners.
• If you don't notice a difference in how you feel after re-introducing your primary artificial sweetener for a few days, it's a safe bet you're able to tolerate it acutely, meaning your body doesn't have an immediate, adverse response. However, this doesn't mean your health won't be damaged in the long run.
• If you've been consuming more than one type of artificial sweetener, you can repeat steps 2 through 4 with the next one on your list.

If you do experience side effects from aspartame, please report it to the FDA (if you live in the United States) without delay. It's easy to make a report — just go to the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator page, find the phone number for your state, and make a call reporting your reaction.

Improve Your Health by Ditching Sweetened Drinks

Perhaps one of the most powerful scientific discoveries to emerge in the past several years is that the old adage “a calorie is a calorie” is patently false. The research clearly demonstrates that even if you control the number of calories you eat, if those calories come from fructose, you are at increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome, or prediabetes, which includes insulin resistance, fatty liver, high blood pressure and high triglycerides.
So please, do yourself and your family a huge favor, and don’t allow yourself to get swept up in Coca-Cola’s multi-million dollar ad campaigns, which are based on flawed, inaccurate, misleading, and patently false conventions of thinking about obesity and the role of aspartame. Let’s not forget: Coca-Cola spent $1.2 million to defeat California Proposition 37 last November, which would have required genetically engineered (GE) foods to be labeled as such (which could have included soda containing GE high fructose corn syrup). That, in and of itself, is proof positive that Coca-Cola has no concern for health conscious consumers.
Sweetened beverages, whether it’s sweetened with sugar, HFCS, naturally-occurring fructose, or artificial sweeteners like aspartame, are among the worst culprits in the fight against obesity and related health problems, including diabetes, heart and liver disease, just to name a few. Ditching ALL of these types of beverages can go a long way toward reducing your risk for chronic health problems and weight gain. So what should you drink?
Your best most cost effective choice is to drink filtered tap water. The caveat though is to make sure you filter your tap water. I've written a large number of articles on the hazards of tap water, from fluoride to dangerous chemicals and drugs, to toxic disinfection byproducts and heavy metals, so having a good filtration system in place is more of a necessity than a luxury in most areas.
Remember, nothing beats pure water when it comes to serving your body’s needs. If you really feel the urge for a carbonated beverage, try sparkling mineral water with a squirt of lime or lemon juice.
Another option to consider is to bottle your own water from a gravity-fed spring. There's a great website called FindaSpring.com where you can find natural springs in your area. This is a great way to get back to nature and teach your children about health and the sources of clean water. The best part is that most of these spring water sources are free! Just remember to bring either clear polyethylene or glass containers to collect the water so no unsafe chemicals can contaminate your water on the way home. If you choose to use glass bottles, be sure to wrap them in towels to keep them from breaking in the car.

Tell Coke They're a Joke!

Obesity is a serious public health problem in the United States, and you are being sorely misled by companies pretending to have a solution that, in reality, only worsen the problem. I strongly urge you to let the Coca-Cola Company know how you feel by telling them to stop their deceptive marketing of soda products.
Join me in taking a stand against false advertising and let your voice be heard. If you’re on twitter, send a tweet to #CokeCEO to let the Coca-Cola Company know you are not happy with their deceptive advertising. If you’re on Facebook, please share your thoughts with them on their Facebook Page. Please also email the Coca-Cola Company to let them know how you feel!

Depression 'makes us biologically older'

By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

• Health kick 'reverses cell ageing'
• 'Baby-faced' people live longer

Depression can make us physically older by speeding up the ageing process in our cells, according to a study. 

Lab tests showed cells looked biologically older in people who were severely depressed or who had been in the past.

These visible differences in a measure of cell ageing called telomere length couldn't be explained by other factors, such as whether a person smoked.

The findings, in more than 2,000 people, appear in Molecular Psychiatry.
Experts already know that people with major depression are at increased risk of age-related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

This might be partly down to unhealthy lifestyle behaviours such as alcohol use and physical inactivity.
But scientists suspect depression takes its own toll on our cells.

Telomere shortening
To investigate, Josine Verhoeven from the VU University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, along with colleagues from the US, recruited 2,407 people to take part in the study.

More than one third of the volunteers were currently depressed, a third had experienced major depression in the past and the rest had never been depressed.

The volunteers were asked to give a blood sample for the researchers to analyse in the lab for signs of cellular ageing.

The researchers were looking for changes in structures deep inside cells called telomeres.

Telomeres cap the end of our chromosomes which house our DNA. Their job is to stop any unwanted loss of this vital genetic code. As cells divide, the telomeres get shorter and shorter. Measuring their length is a way of assessing cellular ageing.

People who were or had been depressed had much shorter telomeres than those who had never experienced depression. This difference was apparent even after lifestyle differences, such as heavy drinking and smoking, were taken into account.

Furthermore, the most severely and chronically depressed patients had the shortest telomeres.

Dr Verhoeven and colleagues speculate that shortened telomeres are a consequence of the body's reaction to the distress depression causes.

"This large-scale study provides convincing evidence that depression is associated with several years of biological ageing, especially among those with the most severe and chronic symptoms," they say.

But it is unclear whether this ageing process is harmful and if it can be reversed.

UK expert Dr Anna Phillips, of the University of Birmingham, has researched the effects of stress on telomere length.

She says telomere length does not consistently predict other key outcomes such as death risk.

Further, it is likely that only a major depressive disorder, not experience of or even a lifetime of mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms, relates to telomere length, she said.

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Moisturizing Gel Heel Socks are made out of stretchable cotton fabric socks coated with gel-pad, which contours around the heel.
The gel pad contains a high grade mineral oil (USP) that gradually dissipates onto the skin to moisturize the skin while protecting it from bed or pressure sores. Softens, moisturizes and rejuvenates dry, chafed, cracked heels. Helps prevent ulcerations and bed sores, and promotes healing after ulcerations close. Protective gel cushions reduce shock, vibration and friction. Wear with shoes or while sleeping or sitting. Can be used with softening creams and moisturizers. The Gel Heel Socks are dermatologist tasted, washable, and reusable.

Indications:

Protects the heel from pressure, friction, and shear forces.

Designed to moisturize dry cracked skin on the heels.

Also for olecranon bursitis protection, lightweight heel protection, ulnar nerve protection, or prevention of bed or pressure sores.

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Product can be worn with shoes.

Remove product at least 3 to 4 hours daily to allow skin to breathe. Hand washable.

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Heal Better: Smart Workout Pain Solutions

 A real pain in the butt (hamstring, ankle, or shoulder) doesn't have to put your active routine on ice. Here are smarter ways to ease the aches.

By Richard Laliberte

How to Overcome Workout Pains and Injuries

Early last year Megan Brady, 36, signed up for a half-marathon near her town of Waterloo, Iowa, and launched herself into a training program. But during a six-mile run five weeks before the big race, she had an uh-oh moment. "My right hamstring suddenly felt tight and started cramping," says Megan, who put on her game face and kept running. She hoped the pain would go away once she got home, but no such luck. Her leg ached for weeks. "Whenever I stood up, I'd have to limp because I was so sore," she says. "When I'd start running, the pain would get really intense."
Megan, an athletic trainer at a local university, knew what the problem was: tendinitis, an overuse injury that would heal only if she rested her muscles for at least a month. "I didn't have time for that," she says. "I was determined to do the half-marathon." On race day she achieved her goal pace of 10-minute miles, "but I was really sore for four days," she says. "It was three months before my hamstring finally felt normal again."
Mental Coping Strategies We've all sucked it up and pushed ourselves through pain to finish a workout. Every year 42 percent of exercisers hurt themselves, a recent study by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) found. Knee pain and sprains as well as strains of the shoulders and upper arms are especially common; they help fuel more than $2 billion in annual sales of over-the-counter pain relievers. "When people begin exercising or try something new, they tend to overdo it, leading to poor technique," says Windee Weiss, PhD, associate professor in the school of health, physical education, and leisure services at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. "As a result, they get muscle strains or soreness so severe that it hurts to move."
How you react to that pain can affect how intensely you feel it, how long it lasts, and even how well you recover from the injury, new research shows. Typically, whenever you sprain a muscle, fracture a bone, or tear a ligament, pain impulses travel through a network of nerves to the spinal cord, which funnels them to the brain. But because pain signals share some pathways with thinking and emotions, those wires can become crossed, experts say. "Stress and anxiety in particular lower your threshold, so minor pain feels more intense than it normally would," says Robert Gatchel, PhD, distinguished professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Arlington. People who are overwhelmed are also more likely to put a worst-case spin on pain, playing a mental loop of negative thoughts like "I'll never overcome this" or "I can't stand having to deal with it."
Such thinking can trigger a nasty downward spiral. Studies find that "catastrophizing" pain -- imagining the worst and dwelling on it -- boosts activity in areas of the brain that relate to pain, creating more distress and worse hurt. In fact, some doctors believe that dreading pain can be more disabling than pain itself. "There's a self-fulfilling prophesy with pain," Weiss says, and that's especially true for exercisers. "You tend to focus on how pain will hinder your workout," explains Maria Urso, PhD, a research physiologist at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Massachusetts. "You'll make a bigger deal out of pain than someone who doesn't work out regularly, because you've got more to lose."
That's what happened to Dawn Nida, a 36-year-old bioengineer and lifelong runner in Natick. When Achilles tendinitis recently kept her off roads and trails for a month, Dawn says, it was "the worst four weeks of my life. I'm known as a runner, and if I can't do that, who am I?"
Mind Over Muscle The good news is that you can learn to quash gloomy thoughts about pain and use your brainpower to feel better. To start, adopt the attitude that most physical aches are nonthreatening. You hurt less when you perceive pain as the body healing itself and getting stronger, research finds. When volunteers in a study at Stanford University thought about pain in a way that made it seem more benign, they were able to reduce it by up to 64 percent. "They came up with unique strategies to change the meaning of pain," says study leader Sean Mackey, MD, PhD, chief of the pain management division at Stanford. "For example, to produce a cooling effect, one woman imagined little snowflakes landing on her aching shoulder." Get the same result by picturing your cells making repairs, swell­ing going down, tissues building up, and pain going away. "For five minutes twice a day, close your eyes and visualize that process occurring," Weiss says. "Along with rest and physical therapy, this can help in­crease the rate of healing."
When pain strikes, think about your fitness regimen for the past week: Did you increase reps? Up your speed? Start a new workout? "If your activity changed, some pain or soreness will be normal," Weiss says. Apply ice to the area and take ibuprofen: Over four to five days it produces an anti-inflammatory effect that can reduce swelling and allow tendons to move more freely. Have you been skimping on shut-eye? "When you're tired, there's a good chance you're changing your gait or technique during exercise," Weiss says. "Get more sleep and you should feel better in two to five days."
If pain wakes you up at night, feels worse in the morning, prevents you from moving a joint through its full range of motion, or is present when you're standing still, see your doctor. You may have tendinitis or a stress fracture. "Rest is the only thing that will cure overuse," Weiss says. Go to the doc right away if you experience any sharp, piercing, shooting, radiating, burning, or searing pain, which may be a sign of nerve damage.
As you're healing from an injury, don't stop exercising (as long as your physician gives you the okay), but do rethink your workout. "If running hurts, you can get the same cardio benefits without all the pounding by swimming or doing the stairclimber instead," Weiss says. Activity delivers oxygen and nutrients that aid your body in repairing itself. Plus, it improves your mood and helps you stay upbeat. And who knows? You just may discover a new exercise to add to your repertoire.
After being sidelined by a second foot injury, Dawn Nida finally began to focus on what she could do rather than on what she couldn't. "I kept telling myself that not running for a month or two is worth it if it means I can keep running for the rest of my life," she says. Dawn took up Spinning, yoga, swimming, and elliptical workouts instead. "I realized that these other activities made me more well-rounded," she says. "Now that I'm healed, I still do them all, and it's made me a much better runner. The injury really changed my way of thinking. I listen to my body more, and I'm stronger than ever."

Biofreeze Pain-Relieving Gel - 11-1031-1

Biofreeze Pain-Relieving Gel - 11-1031-1

 

Product Description

BIOFREEZE® with ILEX
BIOFREEZE CRYOTHERAPY PAIN RELIEF

BIOFREEZE® contains ILEX, an herbal extract from a South American holly shrub. ILEX is used around the world in various health & wellness formulations. BIOFREEZE® does not use waxes, oils, aloe or petroleum. The result is a fast-acting, deep penetrating, long lasting pain reliever.

BIOFREEZE® can effectively help relieve pain from:

Sore Muscles & Muscle Sprains

Back, Shoulder, Neck Pain

Arthritis

Painful Ankle, Knee, Hip & Elbow Joints

Muscular Strains

Use BIOFREEZE® to relieve pain prior to:

Ultrasound Treatments

Massage Therapy

Soft Tissue Trigger Point Therapy

Rehabilitation Exercises

Pre and Post Workout Stretch 

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Poverty in America Is Mainstream

Few topics in American society have more myths and stereotypes surrounding them than poverty, misconceptions that distort both our politics and our domestic policy making.
They include the notion that poverty affects a relatively small number of Americans, that the poor are impoverished for years at a time, that most of those in poverty live in inner cities, that too much welfare assistance is provided and that poverty is ultimately a result of not working hard enough. Although pervasive, each assumption is flat-out wrong.
Contrary to popular belief, the percentage of the population that directly encounters poverty is exceedingly high. My research indicates that nearly 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 25 and 60 will experience at least one year below the official poverty line during that period ($23,492 for a family of four), and 54 percent will spend a year in poverty or near poverty (below 150 percent of the poverty line).
Even more astounding, if we add in related conditions like welfare use, near-poverty and unemployment, four out of five Americans will encounter one or more of these events.
In addition, half of all American children will at some point during their childhood reside in a household that uses food stamps for a period of time.
Put simply, poverty is a mainstream event experienced by a majority of Americans. For most of us, the question is not whether we will experience poverty, but when.
But while poverty strikes a majority of the population, the average time most people spend in poverty is relatively short. The standard image of the poor has been that of an entrenched underclass, impoverished for years at a time. While this captures a small and important slice of poverty, it is also a highly misleading picture of its more widespread and dynamic nature.

Most of us have been poor, at least for awhile.

The typical pattern is for an individual to experience poverty for a year or two, get above the poverty line for an extended period of time, and then perhaps encounter another spell at some later point. Events like losing a job, having work hours cut back, experiencing a family split or developing a serious medical problem all have the potential to throw households into poverty.
Just as poverty is widely dispersed with respect to time, it is also widely dispersed with respect to place. Only approximately 10 percent of those in poverty live in extremely poor urban neighborhoods. Households in poverty can be found throughout a variety of urban and suburban landscapes, as well as in small towns and communities across rural America. This dispersion of poverty has been increasing over the past 20 years, particularly within suburban areas.
Along with the image of inner-city poverty, there is also a widespread perception that most individuals in poverty are nonwhite. This is another myth: According to the latest Census Bureau numbers, two-thirds of those below the poverty line identified themselves as white — a number that has held rather steady over the past several decades.
What about the generous assistance we provide to the poor? Contrary to political rhetoric, the American social safety net is extremely weak and filled with gaping holes. Furthermore, it has become even weaker over the past 40 years because of various welfare reform and budget cutting measures.
We currently expend among the fewest resources within the industrialized countries in terms of pulling families out of poverty and protecting them from falling into it. And the United States is one of the few developed nations that does not provide universal health care, affordable child care, or reasonably priced low-income housing. As a result, our poverty rate is approximately twice the European average.
Whether we examine childhood poverty, poverty among working-age adults, poverty within single-parent families or overall rates of poverty, the story is much the same — the United States has exceedingly high levels of impoverishment. The many who find themselves in poverty are often shocked at how little assistance the government actually provides to help them through tough times.
Finally, the common explanation for poverty has emphasized a lack of motivation, the failure to work hard enough and poor decision making in life.
Yet my research and that of others has consistently found that the behaviors and attitudes of those in poverty basically mirror those of mainstream America. Likewise, a vast majority of the poor have worked extensively and will do so again. Poverty is ultimately a result of failings at economic and political levels rather than individual shortcomings.
The solutions to poverty are to be found in what is important for the health of any family — having a job that pays a decent wage, having the support of good health and child care and having access to a first-rate education. Yet these policies will become a reality only when we begin to truly understand that poverty is an issue of us, rather than an issue of them.

Soft Shell Helmet - 808201

 

 

Product Description

Soft Shell Helmet
Weighs less than 8 oz. for lightweight protection. Woven chin strap with snap fastener has an adjustable buckle for comfortable fit. Includes one set of four Cushion Pads. (If head measurement is over 1/4" from size ranges given, select next larger size.) Latex free.

To size, measure circumference at Eyebrows. 

 

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Footime Computer Foot Mouse with Programmable Pedal - BI-FTFM

 

 

Product Description

Footime™ Computer Foot Mouse with Programmable Pedal. Ergonomically designed, Footime™ foot mouse and programmable pedal can help people with hand, arm, shoulder, or, more generally, upper body stresses/difficulties by allowing them to do all PC entries (typing and surfing) by foot.
It’s a two-part input device: one for cursor control (“slipper”), the other for mouse clicks and shortcuts (the pedal).
The slipper-shaped cursor controller is intuitively easy to use and efficient (in the same way as moving a regular mouse by hand). With elastic strap and Velcro ends, the “slipper” can fit any sizes of foot.
The pedal with two-level design prevent user from stepping on the wrong buttons. These buttons not only mimic all “hand” mouse clicks, but also allow people to program their own customized shortcuts. (up to 10 shortcuts for each program!) The preset popular shortcuts selected from popular programs make it even more convenient to use. A small pop-up window on screen shows all button locations and their defined functions. So user can easily “see” and touch the buttons by foot. When working with some on-screen keyboard software, our mouse even enables people to do typing by foot! Now, nothing can stop people from enjoying their computers!

In addition to helping people with hand/arm/shoulder difficulties such as arthritis, stroke, amputation, etc, our foot mouse is perfect for people with carpal tunnel syndrome as well. The growing reliance on computer and Internet has resulted in this epidemic of injury to workers who perform daily intensive computer work.
Footime™ foot mouse reduces pain and boosts efficiency by adding a foot-controlled input and avoiding repetitive hand/eye movement between “hand” mouse and keyboard. What’s more, this powerful device can help people multitask, avoid contamination through hands or gloves, and give video gamers more “hands” to fight.

No pain, more gain! Our foot mouse simply gives you a hand! Once you try it, you’ll love it. Let your powerful feet help your vulnerable hands. Or give your hands a break and put your happy feet to work! Using computer and Internet has become the inseparable part of our daily lives and it should not be an exception to physically-challenged people.

Unlike some toy-like, half-baked, and hard-to-use foot mice or pedals on the market, our practical, efficient, and versatile foot mouse was designed with pro’s needs in mind (on both hardware and software). It makes others obsolete!

Benefits:

Avoid repetitive hand and eye movement between mouse and keyboard

Speed up workflow of computer work with foot-controlled hotkeys

Reduce hand and wrist stress

Help or heal carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, or other hand injuries

Enable some physically-challenged people to type and surf the web

Help people multitask simultaneously

Avoid contamination by keeping dirty/clean hands off keyboard and mouse

Help video gamers to fight with more “hands”

Features:

Ergonomic 2-level layout of control pedal (with mouse clicks and roller)

Slipper-shaped and efficient cursor controller (moving like “hand” mouse)

Definable pedal (buttons) to define any keys or key combinations

Type by foot with software like tablet input panel or on-screen keyboard

Powered by user-friendly Neuratron™ software

Compatible with most Windows® and Mac® OS

Computer System Requirements and Product Tech Data:

Windows 98E, Me, 2000, XP and Vista; Apple Mac OS X10.3 and later

USB Port

Optical mouse resolution: 800 DPI

Powered by user-friendly Neuratron Software

1.16 MB hard drive space

200,000 times of button click guaranteed

Actuation force of button: 500 grams

Our friendly foot mouse can work independently or jointly with other hand mice or input devices.

Beautiful mouse and pedal cases coated with quality "leather" paint

Bright color buttons help people easily see them under desk or in the dark whenever necessary

15.5"X11" big FREE mouse mat

Cable length:
- Pedal cable: 67"
- Slipper cable: 32"

Note: This item is non-returnable if opened. To view this product click here.

Fabric Tape KindFix - 1003-EA

Fabric Tape KindFix - 1003-EA

 

Product Description

Fabric Tape KindFix® is a white fabric, hypo-allergenic high adhesive tape. Recommended for back and shoulder taping as an undercover for the Sports Adhesive Tape KindRigid L® strapping tape. Latex Free.

Fabric Tape KindFix® can be used alone or together with Sports Adhesive Tape KindRigid L® (Item #1001-EA) sold separately.

Fabric Tape KindFix® is comparable to the other fabric tapes available on the market as Endura®-Fix Fabric Tape, Cover-Roll® Stretch Tape etc., for a fraction of their price. 

 

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Aquasonic 100 Ultrasound Gel - P0150

Aquasonic 100 Ultrasound Gel - P0150

Product Description

Aquasonic® 100 Ultrasound Transmission Gel


Aquasonic® 100 Ultrasound Transmission Gel sets the world standard for Medical Ultrasound Transmission. Aquasonic® 100 Ultrasound Transmission Gel is the most widely used gel for diagnostic and therapeutic medical ultrasound. Recommended for all procedures where a viscous gel is required.

Aquasonic® 100 Ultrasound Transmission Gel FEATURES
- Acoustically correct for the broad range of frequencies used in medical ultrasound applications
Gentle wetting of the skin assures excellent transmission of ultrasound waves at all times
- Completely aqueous, will not stain clothing, damage transducers or irritate skin
- Unique "can't be copied" formula is hypoallergenic; bacteriostatic and non-sensitizing
- Not a spermicide
- No salt, no formaldehyde
- Used and recommended by leading manufacturers of ultrasound equipment worldwide
- Comes with .25 oz dispenser with screwon top 

 

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