VitalityHouse Health Articles

Lose Weight During the Commercial Breaks

May 29, 2008 on 5:18 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments Off Here's a weight loss tip I picked up from the Get Organized Now newsletter this week. (well it wasn't presented as a weight loss tip there but it can be!)

Instead of flicking through the channels or getting a beverage or snack while the commercial breaks interrupt your TV viewing get up and work on your home.

You can easily run the hoover over the carpet in one room, tidy up a space, unload the dishwasher or dust a few surfaces in the time it takes for a commercial break.

Not only will you avoid eating you'll also use a few calories and end up with a calmer less stressful environment ... and we all know how stress can lead to chocolate....

With commercial breaks getting longer and longer you're bound to get a lot done in an evenings viewing - and every few calories helps.

Pennsylvania Initiates Brain Injury Recovery Task Force

May 27, 2008 on 1:03 pm | In Brain Injury News | Comments Off

Estelle B. Richman, Secretary of Public Welfare, recently established the Brain Injury Recovery Task Force to address barriers and gaps in the service system for brain injury survivors and their families as part of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. The need for the task force was brought to Secretary Richman's attention through the advocacy of brain injury survivors, families, advocates and brain injury service providers.

The Brain Injury Recovery Task Force held its kick-off event on April 28, 2008. The event was well attended by brain injury survivors, families, advocates, brain injury service providers, state staff and others who worked together in small groups to discuss the issues. You can review the notes from the kick-off event at the link below.

The Brain Injury Recovery Task Force will work over several months to create a final report for Secretary Richman by mid-September 2008. The work will be done in work groups on specific topic areas and are open to public participation.

You can access additional information on the Task Force as well as how to become a member here.

Clones for Auction

May 25, 2008 on 10:54 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments Off

Mark off June 18th on your calendar if you want to get in on the bidding to have your dog cloned.  A Northern California biotech company has announced that it will clone dogs for the five highest bidders in a series of online auctions. Some ethicists condemned the offer, fearing it could make cloning more acceptable and lead to human clones.

Opening bids start at $100,000 for the service being offered by Mill Valley-based BioArts International. The cloning process is to be performed by a South Korean scientist who suffered international disgrace after being found to have faked research.  BioArts chief executive Lou Hawthorne formerly ran Genetic Savings & Clone, which offered to clone pet cats for $50,000 but folded in 2006 because few were willing to pay so much.

When Hawthrone was asked why dogs and not cats, he replied. “The average dog owner has a different relationship with his dog than the average cat owner,” Hawthorne said. “The level of intensity on the dog side just dwarfed what we saw on the cat side.”

To conduct the clonings, BioArts has partnered with a South Korean research team that recently created three clones of Hawthorne’s family dog, Missy, who died in 2002.  The team was led by Hwang Woo-suk, who scandalized the international scientific community in 2005 when his breakthrough human cloning research involving embryonic stem cells was found to have been faked.

Tests performed at the University of California, Davis’ Veterinary Genetics Laboratory found that DNA samples taken from Missy and the three other dogs appeared to belong to the same individual.  Hawthorne said that after spending 15 years with Missy, he is taking pleasure in seeing her mischievous streak coming out in her clones. They also like steamed broccoli just like she did, he said.  Some groups that monitor advances in genetic technology argue that the company’s project, called Best Friends Again, could serve as a gateway to more unsavory practices.

Critics also have lambasted the project for its association with Hwang. Earlier this month, a researcher close to Hwang told The Associated Press that the scientist, who went into seclusion after the deception was exposed, had established a pet-cloning company in Seoul.  Hawthorne said he was wary of working with Hwang at first but said the Korean scientist had assembled the best technology and talent available. All of Hwang’s results connected to dog cloning have been independently verified, Hawthorne said.

The Korean doctor sounds a bit quacky but I have a feeling that they will be able to sell these 5 auctions because there is not doubt that many folks love their dogs more than humans.

Lose Weight : Dare to Be Different

May 23, 2008 on 5:15 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments Off If you want to lose weight you have to be quite strong-willed when you are out and about with a crowd of friends or surrounded by family members.

Just because they are all eating dessert does not mean you have to stuff yourself with chocolate pie (especially if you have already eaten more than enough!)

Just because they are all drinking wine and beer does not mean that you have to fill yourself up with empty calories.

Just because they are not sporty does not mean you can't take up a sport and enjoy it.

Be proud of beng a little bit different, of having the courage of your convictions and show them that you have the strength of character to follow through on your decision to lose weight.

If you demonstrate by your actions that you mean business when you say you are trying to lose weight your friends and family will (eventually) be more supportive and (with a bit of luck) stop trying to force feed you calorie laden goodies.

It's when you continually say things like "oh I know I shouldn't but go on then, just a small piece" that they fail to take you seriously - after all you've shown that you are far from serious about your decision yourself.

What have you done recently to stand out from the crowd - and done what you know is good for you?

NABIS Abstracts To Be Published in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation

May 23, 2008 on 1:11 pm | In Brain Injury News | Comments Off

The North American Brain Injury Society (NABIS) is pleased to announce that the accepted abstracts from the Sixth Annual Conference on Brain Injury will be published in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation.

The NABIS Annual Meeting is the largest gathering of brain injury professionals in North America. The meeting attracts a wide range of multidisciplinary professionals seeking to benefit from the latest developments in brain injury research, treatment and rehabilitation.

Attendees are comprised of basic scientists, rehabilitation physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, neuropsychologists, neurosurgeons, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, social workers, nurses, case managers, legal professionals, advocates and all others working in the field of brain injury.

All submitted abstracts will be scored by a Peer Review Abstract Committee. NABIS values sessions that present current and best practices, including information that compliments the Conference's topic tracks (Research/Science, Medical/Clinical and Life-Long Living) as well as innovative approaches to brain injury assessment, treatment, intervention and rehabilitation. Also of interest are abstracts addressing brain injury caused by blast and meeting the needs of returning veterans. Awards will be given to the top scoring presentations.

NOTE: The deadline for submitting an abstract is June 13, 2008. You can find additional information and instructions on how to submit an abstract here.