Martha recently posted about how exercise can help stroke patients recover. A new virtual reality program that is undergoing clinical trials in the UK and in Canada helps the recovery process a little more.

A researcher at Portsmouth University in the UK created a treadmill that's linked to a virtual reality system. The system helps people recovering from strokes, traumatic falls, and those living with osteoarthritis to build up their endurance, increase their range of motion, and improve their gate.

The system displays scenes -- cityscapes, forest trails, mountains, etc. As the patient is walking on the treadmill, the scenery changes. The system gives them the motivation to walk -- and it also encourages them to virtually pick up objects which aids in balance. In addition, the motion of the scenery is adjusted so the patients walk faster and more smoothly, almost without realizing it.

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Compulsive text messaging, urges to get online and surf the web, cravings to play video games... What do all of these activities have in common? They're practices people do on the Internet, and one doctor says psychiatrists should recognize it as a bona fide mental illness.

Technology certainly has made things easier to get work done. But it can also be a great distraction to "unplug" from the rest of the world. After all, have you ever looked at your watch and gotten online to check your email, only to realize hours have passed in what seemed like minutes? Making time fly is one thing, but a doctor from the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland says this habit can be taken a step further to addiction.

According to Dr. Block, getting hooked on the web has all the same traits of a typical "offline" addiction: withdrawal and tolerance and requiring more time to get the same satisfaction, for example. He also says that 86 percent of Internet addicts have other mental illnesses -- so I'm wondering if those traits contribute to this computer-aided dependency. Either way, it'll be interesting to see if psychiatrists diagnose "web addiction" in the future.

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I recently saw this video on Back in the Skinny Jeans and when I checked it out on YouTube, and was surprised (and a bit dismayed) to see that there are many similar videos showing how easy it is to make someone look skinnier in Photoshop or Paintshop.

I work as a photographer too and I know how to take a few pounds off the subject of a photo. Do I? Hardly ever, because when I make an adjustment like that, to me, the photo is no longer of something real -- it's a product of technology. Photos are meant to capture real life -- when you change it to resemble what you'd like to see, it becomes a sort of cartoon, don't you think?

What do you think? Is any beauty in the media these days real? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

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It's time to unplug. Not all the time. Just during times that should be devoted to peace, relaxation, and good old fashioned conversation. So unplug your computers and TVs in the bedroom. Turn off your phones during meals and social engagements. Use your "out-of-office" e-mail feature when you go out of town. And ditch your cell phone and your Blackberry while working out. Anyone who needs to reach you can surely wait the hour or so it takes you to concentrate on your physical fitness.

Multi-tasking may be good in some situations but it can also be harmful. In fact, brain imaging proves it results in overall poorer performance. Talking on your cell phone while logging miles on the treadmill, for example, means you are not fully tending to either task. Both your workout and your chit-chat are compromised because neither one has your complete attention. Remember this for yourself -- and your kids too. Plugging in is just not good for them. It can deprive them of being present for what's going around them and can splinter them from family, nature, and their own creativity.

You owe it to yourself and your kids to disconnect once in a while. In the end, it will help you reconnect with what's really important.

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Until recently, Apple computers had a new campaign for their iMac that said "You can't be too thin, or too powerful." but it caused so much controversy they ended up changing it. The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness called on Apple to rethink the message they were sending, stating "What kind of message is Apple sending our youth with an ad campaign of this nature?"

What do you think, was Apple's slogan in bad taste? I hate the stigma of today's media pressuring young people to be ultra-thin as much as the next person, but electronics are another story. Can't we separate the two?

I can see the point of how a message like that could easily be misconstrued, but if the modeling and fashion industries were promoting healthy images this wouldn't even be an issue -- the slogan would be about computers and that's it. Seems like people are getting all bent out of shape over side issues instead of the real problem.

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Can a computer game help health experts better plan for the next epidemic? It can, and it is. It started when a computerized illness that started as an intentional "challenge" for advanced players of the popular video game World of Warcraft back in 2005 soon did what many real illnesses do in the real world: it broke loose and began running rampant among computer characters of the game that the creators didn't intend. What's interesting is that how the computer game epidemic spread was very similar to how real ones do -- so similar in fact that it's helping real health experts fine tune how they do their research. The game is pointing out flaws in the current research system along with natural occurrences and social tendencies that surprisingly hadn't been thought of before.

Of course all the game designers had to do to fix their "epidemic" was reset the system and redo some programming. Too bad it doesn't work that way in the real world too.

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Recently a small study confirmed for college kids what I think many of us already knew: too much time spent on the computer means aches, pains, and sore muscles. The study looked at 27 college students and found that the more time they spent working on the computer, the more complaints they had of aches and pains over the next 24 hours. Spending three or more hours a day on the computer increased musculoskeletal symptoms by 50%, with the most common complaint area being the neck, followed by the lower back, upper back, and shoulders.

Posture is obviously important, as is taking frequent breaks to sit back and stretch. Since computers aren't going anywhere anytime soon, researchers will now be setting up larger studies to hopefully gain some ideas on how to help students stay healthy while studying and working (and the rest of us too!).

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Technology is seeping into every part of our lives, bit by bit. And now even pill boxes are getting fancy! No more simple snap-top boxes with a separate section for every day of the week, no...now they come with audible alerts and tracking systems too.

The MedSignals digital pill box not only holds your pills separately by day and dosage, but it audibly alerts you when you're due to take them. It also remembers what time you opened the lid (in case you're either early or late) and tracks the data on a server (which it connects to via the phone line), which then allows you to see at a glance if doses were missed, late, or otherwise.

Sounds great! The downside? At $169 it's not exactly cheap.

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Numerous studies have shown that your desk is riddled with germs, and that the "typical worker's desk has hundreds of times more bacteria per square inch than an office toilet seat." Since so many people eat their breakfast, lunch or at least a snack or two while seated, busily clicking away at the keyboard, this makes for some rather disturbing food for thought. Before shelving the idea of eating in the office altogether, or keeping an industrial sized and sanitizer next to your computer, check out the new Antibacterial Mouse from Elecom. It is only available in Japan at the moment, but it connects using a USB port, so it should work with any plug-n-play computer. The mouse has a special resin coating that prevents bacteria from growing on it, so you can rest easy -- at least until you start using the keyboard. Maybe we should all switch to voice-recognition software ...

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