From paying $425 for a cleanse to claiming “healing stickers” are made from material designed for NASA space suits, Gwyneth Paltrow’s “modern lifestyle brand” Goop is no stranger to controversy. Now, a consumer watchdog group is asking regulators in California to investigate the product line for deceptive advertising. [More]
wellness
Blue Buffalo & Wellness Dog Foods Recalled For Hormone That Can Make Dog Sick
By 3.20.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
When people and animals have a thyroid hormone deficiency, that’s treated with doses of the hormone. When you don’t have a deficiency, extra thyroid hormone can make you sick, which is why beef-based dog foods from popular brands Blue Buffalo and Wellness have been recalled. [More]
Aldi Getting Rid Of Candy In Checkout Lines
By 1.13.16
Most of us have been there: You push a cart full of healthy food up to the supermarket checkout line only to cave to sugary temptation when running that final gauntlet lined with chocolate, candy, and other snacks. But that may soon be a thing of the past for Aldi shoppers. [More]
Target’s Health Kick: Replacing Candy Bars With Granola Bars At The Register, Giving Employees Fitbits
By 9.16.15
With more than a dozen Target stores gearing up to test a healthier cafe concept – switching out hotdogs and nachos for salads and green juices – the retailer appears to be trying to keep the wellness momentum going by making several other changes: giving employees fitness trackers and swapping the candy bars lining the register with more wholesome snacks. [More]
Exercising Before Eating Doesn't Increase Fat Burn
By 6.28.11
Contradicting common advice, a new study says that exercising before eating doesn’t increase the amount of fat you burn. You could even be hurting your body! [More]
Wellness Recalls Canned Cat Food For Low Thiamine Levels
By 3.3.11
Wellness is a higher-end brand of dog and cat food that’s now even carried at Petsmart. After discovering that some flavors didn’t contain enough thiamine (Vitamin B1), an absolutely essential nutrient for cats, the company announced a voluntary recall of all canned cat food manufactured between certain dates. [More]
Cut Back On Sugar, Says American Heart Association
By 8.25.09
The American Heart Association says we’re eating way too much extra sugar, meaning sugar that doesn’t naturally occur in our foods. The average American consumes 22 teaspoons a day. By contrast, the average woman should eat no more than 6 teaspoons daily, while the average man, owing most likely to his increased awesomeness, should eat no more than 9 teaspoons a day. [Eats another teaspoon of sugar before resuming typing.]
Consumer Advocate Clark Howard Announces He Has Prostate Cancer
By 2.19.09
The consumer advocate, author, and radio personality Clark Howard told his listeners yesterday that he’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fortunately, it was caught very early, so chances are excellent that it can be removed without complications. Like a true advocate, Howard took advantage of the announcement to urge men over 40 to get regularly screened for prostate cancer.
Student Stripped Of Title, Suspended Over Contraband Candy Purchase
By 3.12.08
As some schools districts whore themselves out to corporate sponsors in a desperate attempt to raise funds (hey, we sympathize with them, but it’s still whoring), others are enforcing a zero-tolerance policy against unwelcome intrusions. In New Haven, Connecticut, the school district banned candy sales in 2003 “as part of a districtwide school wellness policy,” and when an 8th grade honors student was caught buying a bag of Skittles from a classmate two weeks ago, he was stripped of his title as class Vice President and suspended for a day.
Interview Your Surgeon
By 1.16.08
For most people, when you’re at a point in life where you need surgery, you’re not feeling exactly empowered or willing to grill your doctor on his or her exact qualifications. But you should, says—of all groups—the American College of Surgeons. Thomas Russell, the organization’s executive director and a surgeon, says, “Patients should feel free to ask their surgeon anything they want answered about the operation or the surgeon’s competency to perform it. There are no questions that should be off the table.”
Make Money At Home Stuffing Supplement Capsules—No Anything Required
By 1.15.08
This personal testimony about health supplements from winstonthorne on today’s earlier post is too good—and disturbing—to leave buried in comments:One of my friends actually stuffs capsules for a living for a company making an herbal “sexual stimulant” – she literally sits there on her…
Hormone-Filled Dietary Supplement Caused Cancer In Two Men, Say Doctors
By 1.15.08
A new article published today in Clinical Cancer Research says that two men “developed aggressive and incurable prostate cancer within months of taking the same supplement.” The doctors examined the supplement and discovered it contained testosterone and estradiol, and “when they tested it on tumor cells in the lab, they found it fueled the growth of prostate cancer cells more potently than testosterone alone.” Either don’t take herbal/hormonal dietary supplements, they urge, or make sure you fully disclose to your doctor what you’re taking.
Zocor May Cause Sleep Problems In Patients
By 11.8.07
A new study from the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine suggests that simvastatin, also known as the cholesterol-lowering drug Zocor, may interfere with sleep patterns: “people who took the statin drug Zocor or simvastatin found they had significantly worse sleep quality compared with people who took Pravachol or pravastatin, another cholesterol-lowering drug.” Simvastatin is fat soluble, which means it can more easily penetrate cell membranes and mess with brain chemistry.
How To Pick A Good Doctor
By 11.8.07
“Most people spend more time picking out a can of beans than a new doctor,” says one expert in a Chicago Tribune article about how to find a properly licensed doctor that you’ll get along with. He and other experts recommend you arrange for a “first date” sort of interview, so you can ask general questions and get an overall feel for both the doctor and the practice, before the time comes when you need a doctor and don’t have the luxury of shopping around.
Can't Sleep? Try Behavioral Changes Before Sleeping Pills
By 11.7.07
The health blog at the New York Times points out that there are all sorts of behavioral changes you can adopt to fight insomnia that have been proven to work—they just sound so ordinary and common that people either don’t think they’re effective or assume pills will work better.
How To Avoid Staph
By 10.26.07
Now that MSRA, or methicillin-resistant staph, has taken the lead as America’s Worst Infection, killing more people annually than AIDS, it’s a good time to learn a little more about how to avoid it, how to identify it, and what to do if you suspect you have it. The New York Times offers a brief, helpful article about the topic, answering questions like “What can I do to lower my risk of catching it?” and “Where does it lurk?”
