<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Health Blog</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/</link><description>If you are curious about vitamins, supplement or prescription drugs or just want to lean more about certain diseases or conditions, you'll find what you are looking for here.</description><language>en-us</language><pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:26:53 +0000</pubDate><lastBuildDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:26:53 +0000</lastBuildDate><ttl>60</ttl><item><title>Six Ways to Save Money on Makeup</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/six-ways-to-save-money-on-makeup</link><pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:46:18 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/six-ways-to-save-money-on-makeup</guid><description><![CDATA[Looking good really doesn't have to cost a fortune... though you might not know it from walking the beauty counters at a department store, or a specialty makeup store.]]></description></item><item><title>Great American Smokeout 2009:  Measuring Success</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/great-american-smokeout-2009-measuring-success</link><pubDate>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:40:19 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/great-american-smokeout-2009-measuring-success</guid><description><![CDATA[I read a very interesting thing on the American Cancer Society website about quitting smoking and how you measure success.

Many people look at the success rates of a particular quitting smoking program before they decide whether or not to try it.  But the ACS points out a few problems with that.]]></description></item><item><title>Great American Smokeout 2009:  November 19</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/great-american-smokeout-2009-november-19</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:52:07 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/great-american-smokeout-2009-november-19</guid><description><![CDATA[It's Smokeout season again:  the American Cancer Society celebrates the Great American Smokeout on the third Thursday of November each year.

On a smaller scale, Smokeouts began in the 1970s.]]></description></item><item><title>Reading Beauty Labels:  Petrolatum</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/reading-beauty-labels-petrolatum</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:02:53 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/reading-beauty-labels-petrolatum</guid><description><![CDATA[You may run across petrolatum as an ingredient in some of your favorite skin care products.  Or, you may be familiar with petroleum jelly -- a staple in many medicine cabinets.]]></description></item><item><title>Drinking Aloe</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/drinking-aloe</link><pubDate>Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:37:18 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/drinking-aloe</guid><description><![CDATA[Aloe vera has long been valued as a healing plant.  The leaves are full of a gel that has been shown to help heal wounds and soothe burns.]]></description></item><item><title>Twin Study Shows How We Age Ourselves</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/twin-study-shows-how-we-age-ourselves</link><pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:42:46 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/twin-study-shows-how-we-age-ourselves</guid><description><![CDATA[The choices you make throughout your life can play a big part in whether you look younger or older than your years.

That's the message from a study on twins and aging from Case Western Reserve University.]]></description></item><item><title>Do You Have a Living Will?</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/do-you-have-a-living-will</link><pubDate>Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:01:17 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/do-you-have-a-living-will</guid><description><![CDATA[Many people don't like to think about -- or talk about -- death.  But it may be wise to think about the shape you'd like the end of your life to take now... before someone else has to make the decision for you.

In the summer of 2001, my paternal grandmother passed away.]]></description></item><item><title>A Good Scare... and Your Hair</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/a-good-scare-and-your-hair</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:10:26 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/a-good-scare-and-your-hair</guid><description><![CDATA[I wish I had thought of this one before Halloween:  can a fright actually turn your hair grey or white in an instant?

Literature and even history has tales of folks whose hair went white overnight.]]></description></item><item><title>How to Say No</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/how-to-say-no</link><pubDate>Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:17:47 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/how-to-say-no</guid><description><![CDATA[As I mentioned earlier, I'm feeling bad about having said no to a few commitments this week.  I love my friends, and enjoy helping them, and don't like to feel like I'm letting them down.

But sometimes, you just have to say no.]]></description></item><item><title>Saying No Can Be Good for Your Health (and Sanity)</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/saying-no-can-be-good-for-your-health-and-sanity</link><pubDate>Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:24:55 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/saying-no-can-be-good-for-your-health-and-sanity</guid><description><![CDATA[I hate saying no.  It makes me feel bad.  It makes me feel guilty.  It makes me feel like I'm letting someone down.

To the recipient of the no, it's probably not that big a deal.  They find someone else to ask, and maybe that someone else says yes.]]></description></item><item><title>Five Ways to Save Money on Prescription Medication</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/five-ways-to-save-money-on-prescription-medication</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:00:01 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/five-ways-to-save-money-on-prescription-medication</guid><description><![CDATA[Even with insurance that covers prescriptions, medication can be expensive.  Here are some tips to help you save a little money on your prescriptions!

Money saving tip number one:  Go generic!  Many name brand medications are now available in a generic form.]]></description></item><item><title>Reading Beauty Labels:  Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Laureth Sulfate</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/reading-beauty-labels-sodium-lauryl-sulfate-and-laureth-sulfate</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:39:08 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/reading-beauty-labels-sodium-lauryl-sulfate-and-laureth-sulfate</guid><description><![CDATA[It's funny how things filter into your brain.  I remember hearing that either sodium lauryl sulfate OR sodium laureth sulfate was bad for you -- but didn't remember which one or why it was bad.  Thanks, brain.]]></description></item><item><title>Listening to Your Body (and Interpreting the Message)</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/listening-to-your-body-and-interpreting-the-message</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:38:33 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/listening-to-your-body-and-interpreting-the-message</guid><description><![CDATA[Two out of the last three days, I was attacked by a ninja.  A ninja nap.  It snuck up on me after my usual post-work routine:  walk the dogs, feed the dogs, feed myself.  I found my limbs sluggish and my eyes heavy, so I gave into the ninja nap.

Three hours later, I woke up.  (Both times.]]></description></item><item><title>My Life as a Lab Rat:  Getting to the Maze</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/my-life-as-a-lab-rat-getting-to-the-maze</link><pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:46:38 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/my-life-as-a-lab-rat-getting-to-the-maze</guid><description><![CDATA[About a year ago, I mentioned my interest in clinical trials.  There are a lot of good reasons to get involved -- access to cutting edge treatments, potential to help a lot of people around the world.

One challenge I didn't expect was how hard it would be to get involved in a study.]]></description></item><item><title>Six Causes for Jaw Pain</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/six-causes-for-jaw-pain</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:36:05 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/six-causes-for-jaw-pain</guid><description><![CDATA[Sometimes, a health issue is straightforward:  you experience pain in an area of the body, and that's where the problem is.  Sometimes, where it hurts isn't where the problem actually is.]]></description></item><item><title>Caretakers and the Flu</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/caretakers-and-the-flu</link><pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:29:52 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/caretakers-and-the-flu</guid><description><![CDATA[Who is the caretaker in your family when somebody gets sick?  When I was growing up, taking care of sick kids was my mom's job (although she did share the duties with both of my grandmothers on occasion).

With the double flu whammy this winter, you may find your family needing a caretaker.]]></description></item><item><title>Dementia and the Flu</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/dementia-and-the-flu</link><pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:59:32 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/dementia-and-the-flu</guid><description><![CDATA[Seems like an odd combination, no?  Dementia and the flu.

Researchers from the Tufts University School of Medicine found that there may indeed be a connection between dementia and the flu... and it's not a good one.  Seniors with dementia seem to be diagnosed with the flu less often.]]></description></item><item><title>Having Trouble Finding a Flu Shot?</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/having-trouble-finding-a-flu-shot</link><pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:32:25 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/having-trouble-finding-a-flu-shot</guid><description><![CDATA[While I was out running errands on Saturday, I noticed a sign on the door of the local Rite Aid pharmacy:  all flu shot clinics are canceled.  It went on to suggest other places where people might be able to find a seasonal flu or swine flu vaccine.]]></description></item><item><title>"Smart Choices" May Not Be So Smart After All</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/smart-choices-may-not-be-so-smart-after-all</link><pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:26:16 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/smart-choices-may-not-be-so-smart-after-all</guid><description><![CDATA[Don't believe everything a box of cereal tells you.  Lots of foods are packaged with little logos and stickers, telling us how healthy the stuff inside is.  But is it really that healthy?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says maybe not.]]></description></item><item><title>Of Mice, Teeth, and Fairies</title><link>http://health.families.com/blog/of-mice-teeth-and-fairies</link><pubDate>Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:48:38 +0000</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="true">http://health.families.com/blog/of-mice-teeth-and-fairies</guid><description><![CDATA[The magical day has arrived... Happy Halloween to those who are dressing up and celebrating today!  I'm taking a break from putting the finishing touches on my costume to give some thought to the Tooth Fairy.]]></description></item></channel></rss>