I will never forget former Texas Governor Anne Richardson telling Larry King why she decided to finally start working out after years of self-neglect. With sadness in her voice, she recounted how she\’d watched her mom literally break up in painful pieces from her osteoporosis. Hunched over with collapsing vertebrae, her mom eventually died from the consequences of this inexorable bone thinning. Richardson took this whole experience as a wakeup call. She saw in her mom her own destiny. So, she cleaned up her diet, stopped alcohol consumption, and concentrated on calcium-rich foods. Every... Read More

The Laws of Unattraction: Top 10 Appealing, Eye-Catching and Attractive Tips On How to STOP Being Unattractive from Janice Taylor, Beliefnet Blogger. Chances are you\’ve heard about the Laws of Attraction. The basic concept is that you attract into your life whatever you think about. Positive thoughts and beliefs create a positive life; negative thoughts and beliefs attract negativity. One sure way to get those positive vibes swirling out there is to be attracted to yourself, in a healthy and self-affirming way (not in a narcissistic, oh my goodness, I\’m the greatest ever, where\’s... Read More

During Peri-menopause, in the transitional period before menopause, women experience a number of emotional problems and mood swings, including anger, in addition to physical changes. According to experts, peri-menopause does not cause anger and other mood swings, but fluctuations in hormone production during peri-menopause trigger anger, depression and other mood swings that are already pre-existing. Many women, at a slightest provocation, would have waves of intense emotions, such as anger go through them. Many would be intolerant of behaviors that transgressed their own limits, and limits of... Read More

The Pontificating Pundits I\’ve been paying close attention to the news coverage of this primary season and listening to the pundits pontificate on the same points over and over again. They talk of exit polls as they do the breakdown dance of statistics in a variety of ways. Male, female, white, African American, Latino, the boomer vote, the youth vote, economic groups, blue collar, white collar, high school graduates, college graduates, religious affiliation. You name it. They have a statistic on how the group of the moment votes. And how about the debates? The candidates have been asked... Read More

Being able to visualize or “see” yourself “thin” is an essential element of permanent fat removal. Whether we are aware of it or not, we visualize every day. As we process our thoughts, we project them as pictures onto the screens of our mind. Daydreaming, fantasizing, and mental rehearsals are examples of visualizations. Many of us dream of having a new job, going on a hike in the woods, swimming in the warm waters of the Caribbean – all pleasant thoughts and images. There are times, however, that we get caught in the negative web of mentally reviewing and rehearsing our fears. Have... Read More

We\’re going to talk about breast cancer this month. Given that in recent years, such a good job has been done in general to make all of us aware of this disease, you may be wondering what I can possibly say in this column that you haven\’t already heard. That\’s the point – we simply cannot hear too much about it. If not for ourselves, then for our friends, for the younger generations–our daughters and nieces–and for the older generations–our mothers and aunts. We need to remind them (and ourselves) that prevention and early detection are the keys to staying healthy,... Read More

After I did a bit of research on etiquette, I was shocked to learn that my family is made up of a bunch of ill-mannered heathens. And, if I were to be perfectly honest, I\’d have to say that I\’m in violation myself and therefore, not a candidate of the Emily Post Manner Award. How does your family measure up?| The Rules of Etiquette One should: * arrive at least 10 minutes early unless otherwise specified. (Whatever happened to fashionably late?) * pass food from the left to right. (So if someone is on my left, should I pass it around the table?) * pass both the salt and pepper together,... Read More

Spring is filled with flowers, green grass, and for some…sneezing, wheezing and runny eyes and noses! The most likely cause of spring allergies is tree pollen. However, mold and animal dander can also be contributing. How can you know for sure? Get allergy tested. If your doctor can pinpoint the cause of your symptoms, the therapy can be tailored to what you need. Treatment could involve allergy shots or medications that can help you to avoid a lot of grief. How can you tell the difference between allergies and a cold? Both can cause a runny nose and eyes, but a cold usually has fever, aches... Read More

This could just be one of the worst months of the year, particularly if you don\’t like cold and snow, saved only by Valentine\’s Day – that sweet and corny holiday. I\’ve always loved it, mainly because it seems to bring out affection in even the most undemonstrative people. So, just like last year, I\’m going to discuss in this column that ubiquitous symbol of this holiday, the heart. Also, in case you didn\’t know, the American Heart Association, as part of the “Go Red for Women” movement, has designated February 1 as “National Wear Red... Read More

Menopause is yet another chance for us to see life as a blessing. Not many women say it\’s easy. What makes this mid-life transition less stressful is really how we think and feel about ourselves. It is an undeniable chance to see how much inner work we have really done so far. Most women report that it can be a deal-breaker phase of life. In other words, women going through menopause often get the feeling ‘its now of never\’. But whether you have been diligent about healing, moving on, staying open, remaining positive, or just barely keeping your head above water, for many women... Read More