What's Wrong with Size 10?

What’s Wrong With Size 10?

“Everybody is unique. Compare not yourself with anybody else lest you spoil God’s curriculum.” — Baal Shem Tov

What do you think of the size and shape of your body? If your answer is less than positive, you are in good company. Upwards of 85% of women of all sizes think they should be smaller. And women aren’t the only ones with poor body image. About 45% of men are not satisfied either. One of the culprits in this growing body image epidemic is the unrealistic portrayal of the perfect body by the media. And due to technological advances, we are now able to digitally slim, airbrush, or otherwise alter people’s looks in photographs and videos, making the idealistic body even more mythical and impractical for the average person to obtain.

If it’s true that most women never acquire the pencil-thin figure of runway models and most men won’t ever achieve the muscle upon muscle look portrayed on the magazine covers, then why does that standard continue to permeate our society? That’s a good question and one worth examining.

Three Words – Large, Profitable Industry

The fashion industry, the cosmetic industry, and the diet industry are just a few of the commercial markets that profit from making people want what they probably won’t ever get. After all, if the media can shame you into believing that you are not the right size, then you might feel so bad about yourself that you.............read more

E. Coli: The Good, the Bad, and the Deadly

In most circles, a conversation about the potentially harmful E. coli bacteria would probably include spoiled food, upset digestive function, and even death. But, would it surprise you to find out that E. coli is a natural part of the human digestive ecosystem and is not always harmful? The truth is that most E. coli bacteria contribute much to the health of humans and are actually categorized as beneficial bacteria. The problem comes when mutations occur.

The Good Side of E. Coli

Living in large colonies in our gut, E. coli and other beneficial bacteria maintain a harmonious relationship with every human being on Earth. All human beings have a very close symbiotic relationship with E. coli and other microbes that take up residence in our stomach and intestines. Intestinal bacteria begin to multiply and flourish the moment we are born and continue to stay with us for the entirety of our lives. In fact, they are quite necessary for health and we benefit from them in many ways.
Beneficial colonies of bacteria, which include E. coli, help us break down food into usable, digestible molecules of nutrients. Through this process, the bacteria in our gut produce vitamin K– a vitamin that is not readily available from food sources – and some B-complex vitamins. E. coli and other beneficial bacteria also keep the populations of harmful strains ............read more

Holiday Overindulgence: What to do When You Eat Too Much

To many people, the holidays are a time of temptation enticing them to overindulgence in unhealthful food, but all is not lost just because you blew it at the holiday meal.   Listed here are six no-nonsense tips on how to deal with holiday overindulgences. 

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Holiday Weight Management Strategies

With holiday stress and holiday fare comes holiday weight gain.  This article offers some practical guidelines for managing sweet,seasonal indulgences.  Please purchase usage rights for your blog, website, or newsletter  here.

Teen Pregnancy: Risk Factors and Intervention

We like to think of our society as progressive and capable of solving our social ills one problem at a time, but the fact of the matter is that, among industrialized nations, the U.S. leads the way in teen pregnancy.  Currently, 4 out of every 10 girls in the U.S. will become pregnant by their 20th birthday.

What Causes Teen Pregnancy

Aside from the obvious answer of engaging in sex, the factors that contribute to a teen being at-risk for teenage pregnancy can become very complex.  Some of the risk factors include:
* Living in poverty.
* Being the child of a single parent, or being the child of teen parents.
* Being reared in an abusive environment.
* Involvement in drug and alcohol use and abuse.
* Having low self-esteem.
* Poor performance in school.
* Being in multiple foster care homes.
* Ongoing family conflict.
* Lack of parental supervision.

Approaches to Intervention

There have basically been three strategies for bringing down the numbers associated with teen pregnancy since they reached an all-time high in the ‘90’s:
* Abstinence-only educational programs.  The Institute of Medicine reports that of 13 studies done evaluating abstinence-only educational programs, none have had a positive......read more

The Collision Between the Teenager and Mid-Life Parents

There are many parents that are, at least, in their late 20’s or early 30’s when they begin having children.  And there is an ever-increasing societal trend to wait even later to start a family.  This puts parents square in the middle of life when their children become preteens and teenagers.  Although more studies are being done, it’s safe to say that part of the problem that parents have in dealing with their teens is, to some extent, exacerbated by their own battle with middle age.

During this period, adolescents are exploring a seemingly limitless future, while, simultaneously, parents in mid-life are feeling the constraints of life.  While your child is searching for freedom, you are busy bearing the brunt of parental, financial, and other responsibilities to the best of........read more

Natural Deodorant: A Better Alternative

Are you paying attention to what goes under your arms? Commercial deodorants contain many toxic chemicals, but there is an alternative. Go natural.

Making the switch to natural beauty and personal care products is probably one of the smartest things you can do for your health. Commercial antiperspirant deodorant, for example, contains some very toxic ingredients. The majority contain one or more of the following:

• Aluminum. A known neurotoxin, aluminum is what blocks the sweat and is contained in virtually all commercially available anti-perspirants. Unfortunately, aluminum is also one of the prime suspects in the ever-increasing rates of Alzheimer’s and

Read more at Suite101: Natural Deodorant: A Better Alternative | Suite101.com http://melissamurphy.suite101.com/natural-deodorant--a-better-alternative-a393435#ixzz1b2EGk31Q