Aurra | Health News Aggregator

Like you, I’ve seen those Activia yogurt commercials featuring Jamie Lee Curtis about a million times. And every time, while I’m singing along to the jingle, I wonder: Could eating that stuff (with Bifidus Regularis!) for two weeks actually help my inner-workings behave better, or is this whole thing just a genius marketing scam?

See, I’ve always prided myself on having a fairly high-functioning digestive system: For the most part, everybody down there seems to know what floor they need to be on at any given point, and when they need to take the elevator a few floors south, and finally, when they need to pack up and exit the building. (TMI Alert: I do take an herbal digestive stimulator every night, and have for years.) So, in general, I feel pretty good in the down-under digestion department. But then again, maybe I just think I do. Is it possible that I could feel even better? Does my digestive system really need to be regulated by Bifidus?

Well, people, we’re going to find out. The nice people at Dannon challenged me to take their challenge, and I accepted. (I’m not a huge fan of yogurt, but I can eat it for two weeks in a row. I think.) So check back here next Thursday, when I’ll report on how, if at all, the Activia 14-Day Challenge has thus far changed my life – or at least my gurgling stomach.

In the meantime, Jamie Lee? It is so on.

Post from: BlissTree

Sponsored Post: Okay, So I'm Taking the Activia 14-Day Challenge

Don’t Believe In Self-Help Books? Lisa Unger suggests three that might make you reconsider. (NPR)

Post from: BlissTree

If you’re feeling a little sleepy at work, you grab a cup of coffee. But employees at a Scottsdale, Arizona software company can take a little rest in either a meditation room equipped with a couch, or a futuristic sleep pod. Company leaders say that employees are happier and more productive since they’ve started taking 20-minute naps when they’re feeling tired. More and more companies are adding nap areas for worn out employees.

Does your company have a quiet room for employees to rest? If so, can we use it?

via Wall Street Journal

Post from: BlissTree

A Nap at Work: Coming to an Office Near You?

Not Necessarily: New research shows that women scheduled for gynecological surgery will probably have unnecessary tests prior to their procedure. (via Reuters)

Post from: BlissTree

Women Survive Trauma Better Than Men – Something to do with estrogen… Or maybe more experience with suffering? (via ScienceDaily)

Post from: BlissTree

Before It Starts: Having a preventive mastectomy might reduce the risk of breast cancer in women with a BRCA gene mutation. (via ABC News)

Post from: BlissTree

photo: Thinkstock

Another year, another flu season — and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging everyone (except infants under 6 months) to get vaccinated this year. After last year’s flu pandemic, it’s become clear that the flu isn’t just dangerous to babies and the elderly — perfectly healthy children and adults also can be at risk for dangerous complications. This year’s shot will include protection against swine flu and two other strains.

So where do you stand on the flu shot issue? Let us know by taking our poll:

via Yahoo! News

Post from: BlissTree

Flu Shots: Will You Get One This Season?

Wait, is there ever a good time to get your period? No. (Big exception: Getting it when you think you’re preggers, but don’t want to be. Whew.) So here are 10 of the worst times to menstruate, several of which we’ve experienced personally. How about the rest of you?

1. During your wedding ceremony or reception (or anyone’s wedding ceremony or reception, for that matter)

2. On that flight from New York City to New Delhi on Air India

3. On your honeymoon

3. During the third interview for that job you really want

4. Just before, during, or after sex

5. The first day of your week-long vacation in Italy

6. While wearing a bathing suit on a beach with no bathrooms

7. While on public transportation with no (or disgusting) bathrooms

8. On a first date

9. While wearing white pants or skirt

10. During yoga or any exercise class

We know you’ve gotten your period during at least one less-than-opportune moment. So share below.

Post from: BlissTree

Bloody Hell! The 10 Absolute Worst Times to Get Your Period

photo: Thinkstock

Every time your elderly parents or grandparents shake their heads in disapproval at today’s youth, don’t feel badly for them. The old crones actually like it. Apparently, German researchers claim that the old bats enjoy reading negative news about us confounded whippersnappers, because it makes them feel good about themselves.

We could’ve figured this one out on our own if we’d just been counting the number of times we’ve heard Nana and Pop tell stories starting with, “In my day, young people never…”

via MSNBC Today

Post from: BlissTree

Old Folks Love Bashing Young Folks

Stressed? You could need more magnesium. (via That’s Fit)

Post from: BlissTree

Super Sweaty: What to do if you think you sweat too much. (via Los Angeles Times)

Post from: BlissTree

Shoes Too Tight? You could be seriously damaging your feet. (via Yahoo! Health)

Post from: BlissTree

Long before there were surgical instruments, Vera Drake, back alleys, wire hangers, Roe v. Wade, abortion clinic bombings, the March for Life, and the most divisive issue ever to hit the U.S. Congress, ancient (and archaic) medical doctors had their own (often barbaric) ideas about how to perform the ever-controversial abortion. Check out our gallery of 6 of the most primitive and absurd methods used during ancient times to terminate an unwanted pregnancy:

Post from: BlissTree

6 Ill-Conceived Abortion Methods From Ancient Times: A Photo Gallery

This Danish couple looks healthy, happy, and they're not hurting the ozone with their rides. (Photo: CopenhagenCycleChic.com)

We can’t stop posting about why people should get on their bikes and ride, but it’s not completely irrational: Swapping your car for a bike does the environment big favors. We like. But a recent article from Rodale.com reminded us of another big reason we’re fans of getting around town on two wheels: It’s great for your health and even improves your mood.

The article encourages us to act like we’re Danish; they’ve got the bike commute down pat. Over a third of Copenhagen’s population rides their bikes to work, and Danes enjoy low obesity rates and good physical fitness. They also happen to rank highly on world surveys of life satisfaction. On the other hand, less than 1% of Americans ride their bikes to work, and we all know that the U.S. population isn’t known for stellar fitness and low obesity.

One of the problems is logistics: Copenhagen has 300 kilometers of bike lanes and free city bikes for residents to borrow, with government plans to increase cycling in the city to make it carbon neutral by 2025. In the U.S., there’s less structural support for bicycle commuting, but we also just have a different attitude: Although plenty of Americans own bikes, hardly any use them to commute, seeing it as a leisure activity instead of a legitimate way to get around.

If you want some extra motivation to get on your bike like a Dane, try committing to the Clif 2 Mile Challenge, or just go get on your bike instead of hopping in the car tomorrow. You mood and health will thank you.

via Rodale

Post from: BlissTree

Bike Like You're Danish For Better Health and Happiness

New research suggests that breastfeeding for a month or longer will reduce a woman’s risk of developing diabetes later in life. Celebrity moms and normal women alike are preaching about the benefits of breastfeeding in an amusing PSA in celebration of National Breastfeeding Month.

What’s your stance on breastfeeding?

via AdFreak and WebMD

Post from: BlissTree

Whip Out the Twins and Avoid Diabetes: The Perks of Breastfeeding

Pot for Pain: A small study showed that people suffering from chronic pain felt less pain and less anxiety when they smoked marijuana compared to when they smoked a placebo. (via Yahoo! Health)

Post from: BlissTree

Nettleton Middle School in Nettleton, Mississippi, thinks (and worse, acts like) it’s still 1950. A super-racist, completely backward 1950. The school is holding class elections, but there’s a catch. Only white students can run for president. The school sent home a memo outlining for which positions both black and white students were allowed to run. So are we supposed to be impressed that this fucked-up school will actually trust a black student with money, as Secretary/Treasurer of seventh grade? Or grateful that a black eighth-grader can settle for second-best as VP?

A shocked parent contacted the superintendent of the school, who agreed that the policy was outdated and said he was willing to review it. Outdated? Willing to review it?? It’s taken them til 2010 to realize that school segregation is outdated? Attention rational people of Nettleton, Mississippi (if there are any): Head for the hills. Or at the very least, send your kids to a different school.

via MSNBC

Post from: BlissTree

Black Children Can't Be Class President? Totally Effed Up Thing of the Day

photo: Thinkstock

How you breathe and how you eat seem to have nothing in common. But if you overeat when you’re stressed, breathing might be just the thing to stop you from reaching for the Oreos.

The next time you feel a knot in your stomach that can only be remedied through fast food, remember this breathing trick: Inhale through your nose for four seconds, and then exhale through puckered lips for eight seconds. It’s called the “pursed-lip breath,” and should re-center you and calm you down the next time you feel an emotional eating purge coming on.

via Vitamin G

Post from: BlissTree

Stress Eating: How to Fight the Urge

BPA Bummer: Men exposed to BPA in high levels might show an increase in testosterone. (via WebMD)

Post from: BlissTree

Laughter Yoga doesn’t require a mat or spandex pants: In fact, it doesn’t involve a single downward dog. Laughter Yoga is a new type of stress relief therapy that basically involves…Laughing. From this Forbes video, the classes look somewhere between a joke and our personal hell. (Call us Negative Nancys, but clapping, chanting, and laughing in a room full of adults just isn’t our cup of tea.) But apparently, there are plenty who disagree with us: At least 3,000 people are certified as laughter yoga leaders and there are more than 400 laughter yoga clubs and over 1000 private sessions taught each week.

Patients report feeling something like a “runner’s high”, and teacher Vishwa Prakash, founder of Yogalaff workshop, says that the classes have benefits beyond stress release: They burn up to 400 calories per hour, boost the immune system, resolve respiratory problems and benefit blood pressure and diabetes.

We suppose it’s better not to be in front of a TV and all, but couldn’t we just watch some episodes of Saturday Night Live?

via Forbes.com

Post from: BlissTree

"Laughter Yoga" Stress-Release Therapy