Over the next five years, say author Kanika Bahl and colleagues, smarter purchasing strategies could save an amazing $630m. T

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Last week was the tipping point for my dog Chloe She was rapidly deteriorating; a series of seizures, followed by confusion and endless sleepless nights when she’d pace the floor, confused and troubled, knocking her nose into things as if searching for the answer to alleviate her discomfort

Oh, if only dogs could talk

In the past few years it had been easy to ignore Chloe’s advancing age; unlike older people who often times will shrink, lose muscle mass, turn gray, get wrinkles, lose their balance and the spring in their step, my dog did none of these: people would often ask me how old my ‘puppy’ was The spark, that lightness of being, her combination of naiveté and awareness that she had as a pup was still very much evident Although she sometimes hesitated when faced with a steep flight of stairs, she mastered the ups and downs, just a tad slower than before Rather than greet me at the door, I came to know where to search for her – in that same corner spot she’d been napping in for years I’d bend down and gently coax her out of her deep sleep – but not before closely observing her to make sure she was still breathing – to let her know I was home so she wouldn’t startle

Last week when I brought her to the vet after an especially tough and sleepless night, I was finally ready to hear what he had told me many times before

“There’s really not much we can do,” he said, a little too matter-of-factly for me But then again, I understood It was time to say goodbye

I had one day to prepare for Chloe’s euthanasia I made the decision to leave her at the vet; I feared that once home, she’d rally, tearing the rug up as she rocketed to the kitchen cabinet where we stored her treats; perching atop the couch cushions to watch for the mail truck or the occasional squirrel dashing by I knew she’d bark when she wanted a treat, that she’d scour the kitchen floor for fallen crumbs I was certain that she’d linger outside for her last walk, especially if the night air was warm and alluring, to listen for the crickets in the distance

And I knew if she were home I’d never bring her back to the vet the next day

So, I spent part of that day before busy-ing myself with errands and work; another part saying goodbye and rerunning Chloe’s long and wonderful life in my head, remembering and being grateful for all she has added to mine And when it got too painful to think, I did something else I rarely do – I reached out and asked for help I called and emailed everyone I knew who had a dog I asked them for tips – anything that they could tell me that would make it easier to let go And to my amazement, people responded in droves Some checked on me throughout the night and into the next day, others shared their own stories; many even cried in solidarity

I had time to process my grief, though a short week later, I’m learning that the grief shadows me in quite a similar fashion as Chloe did; it’s always by my side, touching me at unexpected moments, chasing me until it catches me and forces me to look it squarely in the eye

And many friends have recently lost their pets, too I think it’s a midlife rite of passage; we added pets to our growing families and watched them grow up alongside our children Or for those of us who remained childless, they were our children, cared for with the same love and devotion Now the too-short life of our pets is ending when our new life as empty nesters – true empty nesters – begins

I have a very wise friend and fellow blogger, Roxanne Hawn, who has helped me tremendously through this process Roxanne writes the award-winning blog, Champion of My Heart Roxanne graciously answered all my questions, although by the end of the process she admits to being in tears, too

Q How do you deal with the grief and pain of losing a pet?

A To

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I’m excited to have an opportunity to talk about the relationship between children and nature with NWFs audience.

My colleagues and I here at Texas A&M University, along with researchers at the University of Tennessee and the National Forest Service, have been collaborating over the last few years to develop and conduct studies to increase our understanding of that relationship.

Specifically, we are interested in more accurately assessing how much time children spend outside. T

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You May Know This Story Already

My story is probably pretty similar to many of your stories. I never seriously struggled with my weight until after I went through a couple of pregnancies. With my first baby, the weight started coming off somewhat quickly after giving birth, but then when I turned around less than a year later and got pregnant again, I quickly found that my hunger skyrocketed as I continued to breastfeed until my fifth month of pregnancy.

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Sarah is one of an estimated 20,000 children living rough on Kinshasa’s streets, many from homes too poor to feed them, some after being thrown out of their homes because they were accused of sorcery, while others end up on the streets as a result of the divorce and remarriage of a parent whose new partner won’t accept them. Read full post…

Theres an old adage that says to avoid foods that contain ingredients you cant easily pronounce The purest interpretation might lead one to steer clear of processed foods altogether Im fully supportive of this philosophy provided that it works for you However, in my experience, most people eat at least some pre-packaged or refined foods And, much to the chagrin of purists, sometimes hard to pronounce ingredients are actually quite good for you

In the near future youll probably see an ingredient by the name of xylooligosaccharides XOS in a number of functional foods available in both health food stores and markets Currently, there are plans to add XOS to everything from baby food to yogurt If youre wondering whether this is a welcome development or not, consider the following First of all, XOS is just the latest in a long line of prebiotic fibers much like fructooligosaccharides FOS and inulin Despite what some might say, it really isnt anything spectacularly new or novel Secondly, almost everyone has already been exposed to XOS to some extent because its present in small amounts in a variety of foods including bamboo shoots, milk and rice bran The only thing thats changed lately is that biotechnology companies have discovered an economically viable way to extract and purify XOS from corncobs

To date, several human studies involving XOS have been published in peer-reviewed medical journals The bulk have focused on the utility of XOS in relation to digestive wellness and liver health The latest, appearing in the January 2012 issue of the British Journal of Nutrition, examined the effects of XOS or XOS plus inulin in 60 healthy volunteers The findings revealed that supplementing with XOS promoted the growth of beneficial bacteria and that XOS combined with inulin attenuated inflammation caused by an unhealthy diet This conclusion is supported by previous research that found that: a XOS preferentially stimulated the growth of two important probiotics Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus plantarum which protect against pathogenic microorganisms such as E coli and Salmonella; b a daily dose of 42 grams/day of XOS dramatically and safely improved bowel function in a group of pregnant women with severe constipation

My initial impression of XOS is generally optimistic For starters, Im reassured by the fact that it naturally occurs in traditionally consumed foods Also of interest for me was an 8 week study published in October 2008 In it, a group of type 2 diabetics were given either a placebo or 4 grams of XOS daily Those receiving XOS exhibited uniformly positive results The authors of the trial noted a decline in blood sugar, fructosamine, LDL bad and oxidized cholesterol in the experimental group Since XOS is technically a carbohydrate source, I think its vital to establish its safety in at risk populations such as diabetics This preliminary study suggests that this prebiotic is suitable for those concerned about blood sugar control If these results can be replicated in larger studies involving non-diabetics, then its quite possible that XOS could prove to be a valuable addition to many processed foods

According to the consensus emerging from the conference, drugs fail because they are given too late, after the accumulation of amyloid-β peptides, which form sticky plaques in the brain, and other physiological changes have already destroyed the patient’s neurons and neuronal networks. At

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Hey, its not your fault. At least, not totally. The pressures of life, be they careers, children, finances and relationships take a bite out of your time and your energy. Fast food beckons in times like these, and its a heck-of-a-lot easier to grab a burger with fries than it is to plan a nourishing meal with the nutrition needed for optimum health.

Of course, it should come as no surprise that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that 64% of adult males and 72% of adult women in the United States are either over-weight or obese.

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The latest installment of “This Week in Weed” is now streaming on NORMLtv.

This week in weed: This week in weed: a new study shows federal drug testing as inaccurate and two studies show marijuanas positive benefits in treating HIV and Parkinsons Disease

Be sure to tune in to NORMLtv every week to catch up on the latest marijuana news. Subscribe to NORMLtv or follow us on to be notified as soon as new content is added.

For a period of three years, these young workers were generally able to ignore the toll that lack of sleep and long, intense work conditions had on their bodies.

After year three, however, employees reported having a much harder time bearing up against constant sleep deprivation, grueling work hours, and intense stress.

News of sleep problems, stress and health risks associated with high-pressure finance work aren’t really new or surprising.

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If you drink milk, and youre not a hard-gainer trying to pack on muscle mass, your milk should be low fat skim or 1%. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said recently that nearly 73% of kids and teenagers consume milk, which is good, but then only around 20% of them tend to consume the low-fat variety. In fact, about 45% of them choose reduced-fat milk (2 percent), while 32% claim to regularly consume whole-fat milk.

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When, after the expected time, it did not subside—but only worsened—she became concerned and visited her doctor The news surprised her: she didn’t have a cold at all but, instead, she had allergies

When she told me, she wasn’t the only one who was surprised She was in her 50s and never had allergies up until now I always thought that allergies developed early on and persisted into adulthood I figured since I never had allergies that I was well out of the woods by now and would never have to worry about them How wrong I was: adult-onset allergies plague many a grown-up You may have been a carefree child not paying heed to the fur on your dog or the food on your plate, but as an adult,

Severe personnel shortages in Nakivale and Oruchinga refugee settlements have led to long queues at the clinics and placed a heavy burden on the few health workers available, many of whom often have to take double shifts to meet demand. Read full post…

Every smoker knows the harm and the many reasons to quit but it is definitely one of the hardest addiction to kick especially if the smoker has been a long time and heavy user. Read full post…

But this wasnt just any trip.

The highlight of the trip for me was the visit to Ben Franklin Elementary School.  Ben Franklin is one of our registered Eco-Schools and is a Silver Award school in our program.  Their motto is: “If I work hard enough, I will succeed.”  Ben Franklin is a Pre-K-3 school, and the students are incredibly engaging.  They also have a sister school relationship with Jian-An Elementary in New Taipei City, Taiwan, and their principal, Mr. Christop

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Why We Become Frustrated

Consult any online dictionary and it will tell you that frustration is felt when one is unable to accomplish a goal.

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