Health care

Archive for March, 2010

By Mari Cartel, Lifescript Entertainment Editor

Can you win “America’s Next Top Model” with a skin disease? CariDee English proved you can. In this exclusive Lifescript interview, the runway star talks about her struggle with psoriasis. Plus, check out “before” and “after” photos of English in our slideshow…


Tall, stunning, leggy – “America’s Next Top Model” CariDee English has a lot in common with other runway queens.

But unlike most of them, English has battled psoriasis since childhood. At some points, the red, flaky scales common to the condition covered most of her body.

Most psoriasis sufferers feel like lepers. But not English. The CW reality star has taken a no-pity accepted approach toward her disease.

Since winning the “top model” title in 2006, English, 24, has become a spokeswoman for the National Psoriasis Foundation.

In this Lifescript exclusive, English talks about growing up with an incurable disease, modeling and beauty tips for concealing psoriasis. She also reveals private photos of herself before, during and after an outbreak.

How has psoriasis affected your modeling career?
I was kicked to the curb so many times. I went to Florida one year for a modeling convention. One agency that was interested didn’t know about my psoriasis. They signed me when I was 17. I packed up my whole life – even graduated high school early to move down to Miami.

Two weeks later, they got the test shots back and they [asked], ‘What’s going on with your legs?’

I had makeup on, but we were shooting at the beach. It washed off and [the psoriasis showed up on the photos.]

I said, ‘Jeez, you might want to get a new photographer because this film looks a little sketchy.’

By Norine Dworkin-McDaniel, Special to Lifescript

Did one more guy you thought was The One turn into The One Who Got Away? Don’t despair: The situation isn’t hopeless – and neither are you! But bad dating traits may be ruining your happy ending. Learn how to break them…

You want the big relationship − where you get your mail at the same address, plan vacations a year in advance and have inside jokes and nicknames.

Yet, despite a string of promising relationships, you’re still not partnered up. Sure, it could be the duds you’re meeting. But if all your romances crash and burn – or first dates don’t even make it out of the gate – it’s time to question if you’re driving them off.

“A lot of women think, I’m too old, I’m too fat, I’m not wealthy enough,” says PerfectMatch.com relationship expert Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D. “It’s usually not those things.”

So what is it? Read on for the 9 dating don’ts that could be sabotaging your love life:

1. Your must-have list is pages long.
Your dream man may be a 6-foot-tall doctor who never forgets an anniversary and loves to go shopping with you. Good luck with that.

When sizing up someone’s partner potential, your image of the “ideal man” could be shutting your eyes to a great guy, even though he doesn’t meet all your requirements.

An unrealistic checklist is a common mistake women make, Schwartz says.

“When people have so many ‘I just can’t have guys who…’ deal-breakers, I think, This person’s going to be lonely,” she says. “No one likes trying to fit a checklist.”

Dating do: So you’d never date a smoker? Fine. Don’t want kids? Nix the divorced dad. But if he’s not the right height or doesn’t drive a hybrid, maybe that’s something you can live with.

Focus on things that are truly non-negotiable. Then do your love life a favor and relax about the rest.

By John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach
Happy April Fool’s Day, everyone! There’s disagreement about the origins of April 1, but it has always been a traditional day of practical jokes and trickery. Perhaps a few of you have already been subjected to a trick or two from family, friends or co-workers today. Not to worry, though: It’s all done in good fun! But I’d like to put a little Dr. Sklare twist on this traditional day.

Instead of this simply being a day of Tom Foolery, I suggest you get serious and identify an area of your life where you’re being… foolish. Perhaps this foolishness takes place at work, or maybe it’s something that involves your personal life or closest relationship. Whatever it is, make today the day you stop acting like a fool in this area. Try this very unfoolish exercise for this very foolish day!

Wishing You Great Health,
Dr. John H. Sklare
www.innerdiet.com

Are you dating the wrong person? Got an unhealthy addiction? Need motivational advice? Email your question! Ask Dr. Sklare

Relationship troubles? Ask Dr. V

Need fitness advice? Ask Jorge Cruise

Got a diet dilemma? Ask Joel Marion

What’s in your stars? Ask the Saturn Sisters

Check out Health Bistro for more healthy food for thought. See what Lifescript editors are talking about and get the skinny on latest news. Share it with your friends (it’s free to sign up!), and bookmark it so you don’t miss a single juicy post!

Talk to us on Facebook and Twitter!

By Stefanie Iris Weiss of the Saturn Sisters

Looking to go green in more areas than just recycling? Don’t neglect your love life! In her forthcoming book,

ECO-SEX: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable

(Crown Publishing/Ten Speed Press), Stefanie Iris Weiss (one of the Saturn Sisters) shares earth-friendly tips on how to date and mate. Here’s your sneak peek…

*These excerpts have been reprinted from the forthcoming book, ECO-SEX: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable from Crown/Ten Speed Press with permission from Stefanie Iris Weiss.

You drive a hybrid. Your home recycling system is state of the art. You’re oh-so-good at being green—but is your sex life? Sex can be one of the lowest carbon impact forms of entertainment (and exercise) on the planet, but only if you do it right. It’s time to make your love life truly sustainable…

Sure, eco-friendly sex is good for the environment. But that doesn’t mean a thing if it’s not good for you.

Here’s a crash course in how you can be green even while getting dirty. Eco-Sex is divided into three sections. We start with courtship in part 1, move on to seduction and finally explore eco-sexual adventure in part 3.

First Date: Getting Adventurous with Seduction, the Eco-Sexual Way

You’re not a freaky nudist (not that there’s anything wrong with that). You’re just a free-stylin’ single on the make for a fellow greenie, or you’re an environmentalist in the throes of a new relationship, or perhaps you’re dating three people at once. Wherever you find yourself on this spectrum, you want to spice things up before the two of you fall into bed.

The most obvious, natural choice for an eco-friendly first (or second or third) date is anything in the great outdoors. Go hiking, biking, to the beach (even in winter), a local park, or just for a nice long walk.

Don’t get caught up in the idea that you must spend money on a date; you’re not that old-fashioned, are you? Besides, you’ll get to know your soon-to-be lover a lot better strolling through a beautiful, natural scene than you would in a loud bar or at an intimate dinner when you’re nervous as hell and on your best behavior.

A simple walk gets your blood moving, takes the pressure off, and creates instant subject matter about which you can chat. If you really want to impress another eco-sexual, set up a volunteering date. Pitch in to clean up a blighted community, help paint a school with low-VOC paints, or plant a community garden.

By John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach
No matter how good of a person you are, you can always improve in certain areas. Maybe you could become a better listener, or perhaps you could use more patience. The list is endless and we all have our shortcomings in different areas. With that as our foundation today, I have a challenge for those of you who want to be better than you are. Here’s what I suggest you do.

Pick one area where you believe you could use some upgrading. Next, think of someone you admire who possesses and displays this particular characteristic. Finally, do your best to imitate that person in the area you’ve identified. Allow this person to motivate you to a higher level with regards to this trait. In other words, pick a trait and emulate!

Wishing You Great Health,
Dr. John H. Sklare
www.innerdiet.com

Are you dating the wrong person? Got an unhealthy addiction? Need motivational advice? Email your question! Ask Dr. Sklare

Relationship troubles? Ask Dr. V

Need fitness advice? Ask Jorge Cruise

Got a diet dilemma? Ask Joel Marion

What’s in your stars? Ask the Saturn Sisters

Check out Health Bistro for more healthy food for thought. See what Lifescript editors are talking about and get the skinny on latest news. Share it with your friends (it’s free to sign up!), and bookmark it so you don’t miss a single juicy post!

Talk to us on Facebook and Twitter!

By Edward C. Geehr, M.D., Lifescript Chief Medical Officer
Type 2 diabetes is generally a 20th century phenomenon. Some trace it to the end of World War II when food preparation moved from the family kitchen to factories, where high-fat, calorie-dense foods were produced. Consequently, post-war daily calorie consumption increased for both men and women. Combined with a more sedentary lifestyle – from TV-watching, sitting in a car and computer activity – the increased calorie consumption has exploded into an obesity epidemic.

Both obesity and type 2 diabetes result when the body develops an impaired response to insulin, a hormone that causes the uptake of glucose into the cells where it’s used as a source of energy. Insulin also converts glucose into fat storage and blocks the use of fat as an energy source. When insulin is low or absent altogether, the body turns it into fat as an energy source. Body fat is mobilized and sent to the liver for energy production.

Some obese people develop resistance to the insulin they produce naturally. It’s not entirely clear why this happens, but age and lack of exercise, in addition to obesity, are risk factors for insulin resistance. We know that insulin-generated fat stores accumulate in the liver and muscles, contributing to insulin resistance. And resistance to insulin leads to persistently high levels of blood sugar which can be especially damaging to the body’s small blood vessels.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body is unable to make enough insulin and/or the body’s tissue become resistant to normal or even high levels of insulin. This is different from type 1 diabetes, where the pancreas simply stops making insulin. Type 1 is actually an autoimmune disease where the body attacks its own insulin-producing cells.

Between 18 and 20 million people in the U.S. have type 2 diabetes, and over time are at risk of the same complications experienced by type 1 diabetics. These include damage to the blood vessels, eyes, heart, and kidneys, which can lead to blindness, heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure.

When type 2 diabetics develop increasing resistance to insulin, they require more and more of the hormone to control their blood sugar levels. Traditional therapy has been known to keep increasing the dosage of insulin in order to overcome the growing resistance to the body’s natural insulin production. Unfortunately, this practice appears to actually be making the problem worse.

Now, researchers at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health have called into question the practice of ever-increasing doses of insulin to overcome resistance. They think it might actually be making the problem worse.

The Institutes halted an ongoing trial of intensive insulin therapy to drive down blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetics after more than 250 people died. Researchers stated the evidence was compelling that when insulin levels from therapy are high, certain tissues are overloaded with fatty molecules, which makes the insulin resistance worse.

Instead, researchers concluded that the most rational therapy was to cut down on excess calories through diet or surgery rather than trying to stuff more calories into overloaded cells with more insulin. Weight loss is the key to regaining control over type 2 diabetes. If the disease hasn’t progressed too far, people have been able to reverse their diabetic condition through weight loss and exercise and discontinue insulin therapy altogether. As little as a 5% weight reduction can have a significant affect on insulin resistance.

See All House Calls by Dr. Geehr.

By John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach
One of my most basic philosophical beliefs is that our lives are predominantly the result of the choices we make. If you want to know how you got into the good or bad situation that you’re in today, then look no further than the choices you made yesterday – or rather, in the past. In short, important life-shaping decisions become very significant moments in our lives.

My focus today revolves around the following question: Do you recognize these significant moments when they are upon you? I think the better you become at identifying them, the more content your life will be. So my message today is simply one that calls for you to be more aware of the choices you make that shape your life; they chart your course and become pivotal moments in your personal history.

Wishing You Great Health,
Dr. John H. Sklare
www.innerdiet.com

Are you dating the wrong person? Got an unhealthy addiction? Need motivational advice? Email your question! Ask Dr. Sklare

Relationship troubles? Ask Dr. V

Need fitness advice? Ask Jorge Cruise

Got a diet dilemma? Ask Joel Marion

What’s in your stars? Ask the Saturn Sisters

Check out Health Bistro for more healthy food for thought. See what Lifescript editors are talking about and get the skinny on latest news. Share it with your friends (it’s free to sign up!), and bookmark it so you don’t miss a single juicy post!

Talk to us on Facebook and Twitter!

By John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach

Q: My marriage is in big trouble. I asked my husband to leave, and now I’m not sure I made the right choice. I think I made a mistake by listening to my children. I already borrowed $2,000 for a lawyer. What do I do?

-Tammy W.

A: Hi Tammy,

I’m sorry you’re in such emotional turmoil. The decision to divorce is a tough one for most people, and second guessing one’s decision is typically a part of the process. As I read your email the following three questions immediately came to my mind: How long have you been married? How old are your children? And what do you mean that your marriage is in “big trouble?” Regardless, I think my general message to you would basically be the same.

Since you’re having reservations now, I strongly suggest that you make an appointment with a counselor or speak with someone from your local place of worship. Getting an objective professional opinion is the best way to sift through your uncertainty and discover what’s best for you in the long run. As a general rule, I always suggest marital counseling before divorce, and that may still be a viable option for you and your husband. Without knowing the details of your situation, I think you should seek guidance from someone other than your emotionally involved children before proceeding with the divorce and investing more money into an attorney.

Wishing You Great Health,
Dr. John H. Sklare
www.innerdiet.com

Are you dating the wrong person? Got an unhealthy addiction? Need motivational advice? Email your question! Ask Dr. Sklare

Relationship troubles? Ask Dr. V

Need fitness advice? Ask Jorge Cruise

Got a diet dilemma? Ask Joel Marion

What’s in your stars? Ask the Saturn Sisters

Check out Health Bistro for more healthy food for thought. See what Lifescript editors are talking about and get the skinny on latest news. Share it with your friends (it’s free to sign up!), and bookmark it so you don’t miss a single juicy post!

Talk to us on Facebook and Twitter!

By Norine Dworkin-McDaniel, Special to Lifescript

Celebs like Tiger Woods get busted for their extramarital sexual exploits and then claim addiction. But what’s the difference between a bad boy and sex addict? And how do you know if your guy is one? Here are 10 clues…

Ever since Tiger Woods plowed his Cadillac Escalade into a tree, spilling his private life all over the media and then retreating to a sex addiction treatment center, a lot of women might be wondering if their guy is hiding secrets.

After all, if the world’s most famous athlete could conceal his cheating for years, who’s to say regular guys couldn’t?

It’s hardly news that men like sex. But that perception – and expectation – can make it tough for women to figure out what’s normal and not when it comes to their man’s sexual demands.

According to research by pioneering sex addiction researcher/therapist Patrick Carnes, about 3%-6% of American men and women have a sexual compulsion, ranging from obsessively watching Internet porn, excessive masturbation and cyber/phone sex to frequent anonymous encounters, regular visits to prostitutes or massage parlors and strings of affairs.

Even if you catch your man cheating, how do you know if he’s acting out a compulsion or just being a player?

Motivation is the key difference between an addict and a womanizer, experts say. The latter is feeding his ego with conquests. A sex addict turns to porn or anonymous hookups the way an alcoholic reaches for scotch.

“Someone else might go for a run, call a friend or zone out with TV,” explains Lisa Paz, Ph.D., a Miami marriage and family therapist. “The sex addict relies on sex to release stress and stabilize their mood.”

So if your partner has been unfaithful or is acting suspicious, how can you tell if sex addiction is to blame? Check out these top 10 warning signs:

1. He’s glued to the computer.
In the past, men didn’t have many visual sex outlets – just a magazine or video.

By John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach
In my opinion, there are few things that contribute more to your sense of self and overall image than your moral character. By definition, moral character is the existence or lack of virtues such as integrity, courage, fortitude, honesty and loyalty. In other words, it means that you’re a good person and a good citizen with a sound moral compass. With that as my foundation today, I have a question for you.

Are you a person of good moral character? Are you consistently trustworthy, honest, respectful, responsible and fair, or do you tend to falter a bit in these areas? If you don’t score as high as you’d like on the moral character scale, why not start putting a new face on your character. After all, you build your character through your actions, which shapes who you are as a person. So what kind of character are you presently building?

Wishing You Great Health,
Dr. John H. Sklare
www.innerdiet.com

Are you dating the wrong person? Got an unhealthy addiction? Need motivational advice? Email your question! Ask Dr. Sklare

Relationship troubles? Ask Dr. V

Need fitness advice? Ask Jorge Cruise

Got a diet dilemma? Ask Joel Marion

What’s in your stars? Ask the Saturn Sisters

Check out Health Bistro for more healthy food for thought. See what Lifescript editors are talking about and get the skinny on latest news. Share it with your friends (it’s free to sign up!), and bookmark it so you don’t miss a single juicy post!

Talk to us on Facebook and Twitter!