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How are you feeling about getting into your bathing suit this summer?   Personally, I was hoping to be in a little better shape by now. Even though I’ve been successful at getting closer to my ideal weight, I’ve been playing one step forward and two steps back for the last several weeks.

Since I know I’m not the only mom out there struggling to eat healthy and lose weight, I’m not going to give up. I’m determined to have my Valerie Bertinelli moment, and it would be great if I could get to it sometime this summer. And yes, I do have a plan. It involves a few of the things that have already worked for me, and a couple of new (somewhat unconventional) ideas too.

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There is a lot of controversy surrounding alternative modalities of healing, and whether or not they are effective. My feelings on alternative medicine is that mainstream medicine should not be replaced by it, but rather complimented by it.  It’s not an all or nothing scenario. All alternative medicine is not good, but it’s also not all bad.

Recently there was an article about parents who withheld medical treatment for their child to treat the child with homeopathy, and the child later died. This is a sad and tragic story, but does it prove homeopathy doesn’t work? I don’t think so. I think this case is more of a reflection on neglect and/or poor choices by the parents, as apposed to the failure of homeopathy. This case is a glaring example of why traditional medicine should not be ignored for alternative medicine.

Even with all the controversy, many medical professionals are now excepting that alternative healing practices can be helpful to patients when used in conjunction with their mainstream treatments.

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Could The Recession Be Making More Americans Fat? Is it possible to eat healthy on a budget?

There seems to be evidence that the poor economy is taking its toll on American families and their ability to make healthy food choices. For some it may be that stress is contributing to an increase in emotional eating, and for others it may be the cost of eating healthy. For what ever reason, the recession appears to be having a negative affect on obesity in America. And since there is no sign of economic recovery in the near future, we need to all find ways to get ourselves (and our families) through these hard times without forfeiting our health.

Back in October I wrote a post on saving money while still eating healthy, and now more than ever, I think we need to take another look at how we can do that.

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On Thursday the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the first flu pandemic in 41 years.  But there is no need to panic, the H1N1 virus (swine flu) has not become any more lethal, it’s just being recognized as a pandemic now because of the numbers of cases and areas affected.

From The Wall Street Journal – Flu Pandemic Is Declared…

As of Thursday, the WHO reported 28,774 confirmed cases of H1N1 in 74 countries, including 144 deaths. A sharp jump in cases in Australia, where more than 1,300 people have been diagnosed, contributed to the decision to raise the alert level.

In Hong Kong, the government on Thursday ordered the closure of all nurseries, kindergartens and primary schools for two weeks after a dozen students at one school tested positive for swine flu.

While the new flu strain has spread rapidly, fewer than 1% of reported H1N1 cases have resulted in deaths. The most recent pandemic in 1968 killed about one million people, according to some estimates. The most lethal flu pandemic of the past 100 years, in 1918, is believed to have killed tens of millions of people.

The WHO estimates that seasonal flu kills up to 500,000 people each year.

So what does all of this mean for you and me? Here is a video from The New York Times…

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Is Your Family Affected By Food Allergies?

Do you have children that suffer with food allergies? It seems like food allergies are becoming more and more prevalent. Why is that? My personal opinion, is that it has something to do with how germ and bacteria free we’ve become as a society.

Last week was food allergy awareness week, so I thought I would use this post to look at food allergies and how some parents are coping.

What are food allergies? From The Mayo Clinic…

Food allergy is an immune system reaction that occurs soon after eating a certain food. Even a tiny amount of the allergy-causing food can trigger signs and symptoms such as digestive problems, hives or swollen airways. In some people, a food allergy can cause severe symptoms or even a life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis.

Food allergy affects an estimated 6 to 8 percent of children under age 3, and about 4 percent of adults. While there’s no cure, some children outgrow their food allergy as they get older.

Here is an informative video on food allergies…

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