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Showing posts from February, 2023

The Princess of Wales brings Awareness to Holistic Healthcare Upon Completion of Three Peaks Challenge

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The Princess of Wales completed the Three Peaks challenge over the weekend.  The challenge involves a blend of driving and trekking through three of the highest mountain peaks in England, Scotland and Wales--Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Yr Wyddfa. The challenge areas cover 23 miles of walking distance along with a 462 mile drive between each peak.   The challenge is open to the public and many aim to walk to the summit of the peaks within 24 hours.  However, the trek is so grueling and extensive that only 40% of the individuals attempting the challenge are able to complete it within this timeframe.  It is recommended that individuals desiring to complete the Three Peaks Challenge engage in strength training over a period of eight to twelve weeks. Whether Catherine engaged in strength training is unknown but she has always been quite athletic.  Not only did Catherine complete the challenge--she is part of the smaller percentage of people who were able to comp...

Sitting For Too Long Linked to Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

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Spending a great deal of time sitting in your cubicle? Do you love to be indoors sitting down while watching your favorite TV show? Do you find yourself sitting down very often on your college campus after lectures? It’s been suggested that 13 percent of the global ailment of Alzheimer’s can be attributed to sedentary behavior. 100 million people will be affected by dementia by 2050 (Hughes et al., 2010).   It can be alarming when finding out that a sedentary activity such as sitting is no bueno for your health but it’s best to learn earlier so as not to continue actions that can be detrimental to health. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles discovered a link between sitting for long periods of time and decreased brain thickness in a region that is essential for the formation of memories (Siddarth et al., 2018). This is an area of the brain that declines with age. Thirty-five adults between the ages of 45 – 75 took part in the study. The adults were given q...

Dark Chocolate Contains Heavy Metals Cadmium and Lead

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Dark chocolate has frequently been lauded by health fanatics for its numerous benefits.  It’s classified as a source of antioxidants and has been even said to help regulate blood pressure and cholesterol levels.  It's even been claimed to help with weight loss.   A  New York based non-profit named Consumer Reports tested heavy metal levels of 28 different brands of chocolate including Hershey’s, Godiva, Tony’s, Lindt, Endangered Species and Trader Joe’s.  Consumer Reports measured levels of cadmium and lead against standards set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA).  According to OEHHA, human exposure to cadmium should not be more than 4.1 mcg per day and their exposure to lead should not be more than 0.5 mcg per day. Many of the dark chocolate bars contained more lead than they should have.  Ten bars contained more than the OEHHA recommended level of lead while eight contained more than the recommended level for c...