Your Antonio

Antonio Sabato Jr. searches for the love of his life in a lush Hawaiian paradise. The new VH1 series “My Antonio” premieres this month By Mark Ariel

Thirteen beautiful women travel to an exotic paradise in Hawaii, hoping to make a love connection with the General Hospital star, Calvin Klein underwear model and fitness-conscious hunk extraordinaire. Who will win the heart of one of the most desired men on the planet? Find out on “My Antonio,” premiering Sunday, August 16th, 2009 at 10pm on VH1.

“My Antonio” is a real-life soap opera, with romance, betrayal and a show-stopping plot twist: A woman from Antonio’s past will shock everyone when she shows up to compete for his love. And she’s not just any woman. She’s Antonio’s ex-wife! Now she’s determined to win him back-at any cost. Read more

Beat The Heat

Five essential summer health tips By Victor Melamed

No matter what summertime activity you choose to participate in - some fun and games with family or friends at the park, a refreshing swim, or a backyard barbecue - those hot can take a toll on you physically, as well as present some hidden dangers. Here are some tips on how you can manage the heat and keep cool during the dog days of summer.

1 DRINK WATER The risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke rises along with the temperature and humidity. Heat illnesses occur when the body’s cooling mechanism becomes overloaded. When the heat starts to rise - slow down. Regardless of your activity level, drink more fluids - your body needs water to prevent dehydration during warm summer days. Stay away from liquids that contain caffeine, alcohol, or large amounts of sugar. Read more

Good Vibrations

“Vibration training improves muscle tone and increases core body temperature beca use it allows for stimulation of the neurological system” By Dorene Internicola

There’s a whole lot of shaking going on in gyms these days. The machines responsible may look like locker room scales on steroids, and the idea of using them to jiggle the flab away may seem a bit wacky. But experts, celebrities and true believers say that squatting and pressing atop these vibrating platforms can perk up tired bodies and ignite weary workouts.

“Vibration training improves muscle tone and increases core body temperature because it allows for stimulation of the neurological system,” David Harris, director of personal training for the Equinox Fitness, said in an interview. Over 100 gyms in the United States and more than 80 countries worldwide feature the vibrating platforms, according to Patty Stapleton, spokesperson for Power Plate, the California-based company which manufactures them.

Model and television presenter Heidi Klum, actors Clint Eastwood and George Clooney, and entertainers P-Diddy and Madonna are among its celebrity users, according to the company. “Many people are using the machines to improve flexibility and reduce muscle soreness,” Fabio Comana, an Read more

Metabella Pilates

Specifically designed for each individual’s mind, body, and soul By: Catalina Spada

METABELLA means beyond beauty and that is exactly what I have created,” pronounces Natalie Pierre, owner and founder of Metabella Pilates. More than a pilates studio, Metabella Pilates is a healthy life style choice. Pierre’s mission is to provide an environment that nourishes your body, mind, and soul.

The workout is centered on your needs and progress. The treatments that follow are designed according to your stress levels, intoxication, and nutrition. Such details educate you on the state of your body. It’s easy to create a healthy plan for each individual once you have researched and found the problems.

Research shows that when you’re under stress, you may find it harder to keep up healthy-eating habits. That is why it is crucial to evaluate all aspects of you in order to produce a Read more

Go Green Beauty Facials

Usingionized water to firm and tone your skin Dr. Nathan Newman

With the green revolution, comes the integration of alternative medicine into traditional western medicine to help you live longer, younger and healthier. In Japan, hospitals use a very acidic ionized water to help clean wounds, treat diabetic ulcers and help disinfect the bacteria and viruses without the need for caustic chemicals.

This acidic ionized water can also be used on the skin to help reduce inflammation, irritation and itching. It has been further noted that people who regularly use ionized acidic soft water to wash their face tend to have younger looking skin. The go green ionized beauty water has been integrated into traditional facial techniques to help give you clear, soft, youthful and healthy skin. Read more

Ask DR. Dreyfus

Clinical Psychologist, a Marriage, Family, Child Therapist, and Certified Sex Therap ist Dr. Edward A. Dreyfus answers your questions

Dear Dr. Dreyfus: *I have lived with my boyfriend for 9 months and love him dearly. However, we have trust issues. He is suspicious by nature and reads my emails and constantly ‘checks up on me’. He often cites Dr. Phil as an excuse and says there should be total transparency in a relationship. I agree but don’t think this should be taken to extremes. He insists on knowing my passwords etc. Read more

Cannabis Treatments

New research into ca nnabis-based medicine for diabetes, multiple sclerosis By Ben Deighton

Cannabis plant extracts could potentially form the basic ingredients for a market-leading diabetes drug, the scientist who developed a former world-beating treatment for the condition believes.

Professor Mike Cawthorne led the team that developed GlaxoSmithKline’s Avandia, which became the company’s second-biggest selling drug until sales plunged in 2007 after a study linked it to a higher risk of heart attacks. “I sincerely Read more

Back To School: “Sex Academy” Offers Tips

Interactive displays guide visitors through intimate areas of the body

Wannabe Latin lovers can improve their technique by playing with the erogenous zones of naked mannequins at a new interactive exhibition that has now opened in Berlin. The “Amora sex academy” that opened in Berlin last month welcomes visitors with the wry slogan, “Finally — an exhibition for those who always have to touch everything.” More than 50 interactive displays guide visitors through the intimate areas of the male and female bodies, offering helpful tips on everything from striptease to oral sex and how to achieve a perfect orgasm.

“A lot of couples come in here together to learn something,” said manager Uta Barkow. “It’s been very well received so Read more

Tired of Being Tired

Everything you need to know about adrenal fatigue By Dr. Anju Mathur, The Angel Longevity Medical Center

Tired for no reason? Get tired especially when faced with stress? Having trouble getting up in the morning? Need coffee, colas or sweet snacks to keep going?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you may be suffering from Adrenal Fatigue, the 21st century syndrome. Adrenal fatigue could occur in anyone who is suffering from severe or constant physical or emotional Read more

Top 18 Fat Fighting Foods

Increase your body’s fa t-burning power by eat ing these top fat -fighting foods By Patrick Tsakuda

It’s not too late to drop a few extra pounds this summer - and it might not be as hard as you think! You can increase your body’s fatburning power by eating more foods that help your liver (your body’s main fat-metabolizing organ) to burn fat better, resulting in a leaner body.

Michelle Schoffro Cook, DNM, DAc, CNC, on her web site www.energyeffect.com, recently listed her main fat burning food choices. We added a few of our own - and created our Top 18 Fat- Fighting Foods.

1 OATMEAL
A recent study found that in addition to lowering cholesterol, eating oatmeal can also be part of a weight loss plan. The results of the study found that people who ate a bowl of Quaker Instant Oatmeal Weight Control as part of an overall reduced calorie weight loss plan, which included walking, lost significant amounts of weight and body fat when compared to control subjects who only exercised.

2 LEAFY GREENS
Spinach, spring mix, mustard greens, and other dark leafy greens are good sources of fiber and powerhouses of nutrition. Research demonstrates that their high concentration of vitamins and antioxidants helps prevent hunger while protecting you from heart disease, cancer, cataracts, and memory loss.

3 OLIVE OIL
Choosing extra virgin olive oil as your main source of dietary fat, combined with eating a healthy diet that is high in plant foods, may reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Research has shown moderate amounts of olive oil may also reduce abdominal fat, if eaten as part of a diet high in plant foods.

4 GARLIC
Garlic contains the compound allicin which has anti-bacterial effects and helps reduce unhealthy fats and cholesterol. In laboratory tests on rats, researchers found that garlic prevents weight gain and might even lead to weight loss.

5 TOMATOES
Packed with vitamin C and the phytochemical lycopene, tomatoes stimulate the production of the amino acid known as carnitine. Research has shown that carnitine helps speed the body’s fat-burning capacity by one-third.

6 NUTS
Raw, unsalted nuts provide your body with essential fatty acids that help burn fat. Their high nutrient content also lowers the risk of heart attack by 60 percent.

7 CAYENNE
This hot spice lessens the risk of excess insulin in the body by speeding metabolism and lowering blood sugar levels before the excess insulin can result in fat storage.

8 TURMERIC
Turmeric contains the highest known source of beta carotene, the antioxidant that helps protect the liver from free radical damage. It also helps your liver heal while helping your body metabolize fats by decreasing the fat storage rate in liver cells.

9 CINNAMON
Researchers found that adding a quarter to one teaspoon of cinnamon with food helps metabolize sugar up to twenty times better than food not eaten with cinnamon. Excess sugar in the blood can lead to fat storage.

10 FLAX SEEDS
These seeds and oil attract oil-soluble toxins that become lodged in the fatty tissues of the body. Once attracted, they help to escort fat-soluble toxins out. That spells fewer fat stores and a trimmer you.

11 APPLES
The skin of apples contains pectin, an insoluble fiber that serves as nature’s own appetite suppressant.

12 BEANS
High-fiber beans such as chickpeas, lima beans, and kidney beans make you feel fuller longer so you eat less and temper those unnatural cravings.

13 GREEN TEA
Studies show that green tea extract boosts metabolism and may aid in weight loss. This moodenhancing tea has also been reported to contain anti-cancer properties and help prevent heart disease.

14 GRAPEFRUIT
Researchers found that participants who ate half a grapefruit with each meal in a 12-week period lost an average of 3.6 pounds. The study indicates that the unique chemical properties in this vitamin C-packed citrus fruit reduce insulin levels, which promotes weight loss

15 BROCCOLI
Study after study links calcium and weight loss. Broccoli is not only high in calcium but it’s also loaded with vitamin C which boosts calcium absorption. This member of the nutritious cabbage family also has plenty of vitamin A, folate and fiber. And, at just 20-calories per cup, this weight loss superfood not only fights fat but also contains powerful phytochemicals that boost your immunity and protect against disease.

16 LEAN TURKEY
Countless studies have shown that protein can help boost metabolism, lose fat and build lean muscle tissue so you burn more calories. A 3-ounce serving of boneless, skinless lean turkey breast weighs in at 120 calories and provides 26 grams of appetite-curbing protein, 1 gram of fat and 0 grams of saturated fat.

17 HOT SAUCE
Forget bland condiments. If you want to burn fat, spice things up. In a study of 36 men and women, Australian researchers found that following a spicy meal, levels of insulin - the hormone that triggers body fat storage - were lowered by as much as 32 percent.

18 SOUP
Here are the benefits: They are filling; a bowl of soup can be an entire meal. They are satisfying. For many people, they are more satisfying than raw vegetables, while many give you all the benefits of veggies (if you choose the soups chock full of vegetables). They are inexpensive, convenient, easy, and quick to make. Soups don’t make you feel like you’re on a diet.

For the heavy, economic woes can mean weight gain

THE WEIGHT OF STRESS: By Anne Harding

Being under stress — including worrying about paying bills in today’s economy — may make overweight and obese people gain more weight, although stressed-out normal-weight individuals don’t have this problem, new research in the American Journal of Epidemiology shows. “Where you start in terms of your weight seems to matter in how stress is associated with weight gain,” Dr. Jason Block of Harvard Medical School in Boston, who conducted the research as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar at the Harvard School of Public Health, told Reuters Health.

While psychosocial stress may increase people’s risk of many health problems, from high blood pressure to cancer, less is known about how it might influence weight gain over time, Block and his team note in their report. To investigate, they looked at data on 1,355 men and women 25 to 74 years old in 1995 who were followed for nine years as part of the Midlife in the United States study. All had completed a telephone survey to assess their levels of psychosocial stress and identify psychiatric problems at the study’s outset. The higher a person’ body mass index (BMI) — a measure of the ratio between height and weight — at the beginning of the study, Block and his colleagues found, the more weight they gained in response to stress. And the effects varied by gender. While

having trouble paying the bills and experiencing heavy job-related demands were linked to weight gain for men and women, lack of control over one’s life and strained family relationships influenced weight gain in women, but not men. For men, having less autonomy on the job and less opportunity to use skills and learn new things also boosted the likelihood of gaining weight. Both men and women with generalized anxiety or depression who were heavy at the beginning of the study put on more weight over time than heavy people who weren’t anxious or depressed.

While his study didn’t look at how stress might cause weight gain, Block noted, there are a couple of ways that make sense. Social subordination and stress up levels of the socalled stress hormone cortisol in people and animals, while high levels of the hormone also are associated with abdominal obesity. And eating causes the brain to release feel-good chemicals called endogenous opiates, he added, so certain people may rely on eating as a way to soothe themselves and release stress. “It appears to be a kind of comfort-eating thing as well as a cortisol thing.”

People should be aware that times of stress may be risky times for weight gain, the researcher said, especially if they are already heavy, and prepare themselves accordingly. “If you can prevent that weight gain it’s a lot easier than having to deal with it after you’ve already gained the weight,” Block noted. One main weapon against stress-induced weight gain, he added, is taking steps to cope with stress. “It’s something that I talk to patients about all the time.”

He said he advises patients to do two things: make sure they have some time to themselves each day to meditate, exercise or even just have a break from family and work demands; and be sure to get enough sleep.

New Stem Cell Rules Loosen Some Restrictions

Stem cells can transform medicine, with new understanding of how to regenerate tissues destroyed by d1sease

The government released final rules last month governing federally funded research on human embryonic stem cells, loosening some requirements that scientists said could have cost them a decade of work. But the new rules keep many of the restrictions on the research. Federal funds may not be used to actually make the cells using human embryos — only to work with them after someone else has made them.

In March, President Barack Obama lifted restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research that had been put into place by his predecessor, former president George W. Bush. He asked the National Institutes of Health to draw up new guidelines. Supporters say work on the cells can transform medicine, with new understanding of how to regenerate tissues destroyed in diabetes, by injuries and by diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Opponents say it is wrong to destroy human embryos for any reason and the issue has become a politically divisive one. But over the years Congress reached a middle ground, with many social conservatives, such as Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, saying they could support such research if it used embryos left over at fertility clinics.

“The guidelines reflect the broad public support for federal funding research using human embryonic stem cells created from such embryos based on wide and diverse debate on the topic in Congress and elsewhere,” the new rules said. The new rules limit such research to these in vitro fertilization or IVF leftovers. They also establish stringent “informed consent” rules meant to make clear to the people whose eggs and sperm were used to make the embryos what they will and will not be used for. The new guidelines also loosen restrictions on using human embryonic stem cells made in other countries.

The rules prohibit federal funding of embryos made by cloning, using a human egg only in a process called parthenogenesis, and those created specifically for research. They do not affect what scientists do using private funds or state funds. Representatives Diana DeGette, a Democrat, and Michael Castle, a Republican, have said they would introduce legislation broadening the guidelines further.