That's Fit

Can drinking water be harmful to your health? Why, yes, it can be, say two kidney experts. Now I don't mean excess amounts of water here. I mean your average daily recommended water intake.

How can this be, you might ask. Clearly, water is good for the body. It clears out toxins, keeps organs in fighting shape, keeps weight off, and improves skin tone. Not quite true, according to a new scientific review published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

"There is what I call an urban myth that drinking a lot of water is a healthy thing to do and it leads to people toting around plastic water bottles all day drinking water," says kidney specialist Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

Goldfarb began studying the benefits of drinking water because of his interest in how the kidney handles fluids. With colleague Dr. Dan Negoianu, Goldfarb debunked four myths.

• Drinking a lot of water suppresses appetite. Nope. There is no consistent evidence of this. "Because you absorb water so quickly and it moves through the GI tract so quickly, it probably doesn't fill you up the way people have proposed, nor does it lead to the release of hormones which suppress appetite as far as we know," Goldfarb says.
  
  

• Filling up on water flushes toxins from the body. "When you drink a lot of water you end up having a larger volume of urine but don't necessarily increase the excretion of various constituents of the urine," says the researcher.
  
  

• Drinking water reduces headaches. It does not.
  
  

• Water drinking improves your skin. There is nothing to suggest that it improves the water content of the skin.
  

Goldfarb and Negoianu say that some people do have an increased need for water, like those living in hot, dry climates, some athletes, and people with certain diseases like kidney stones. But but no such data exist for average, healthy individuals. Or long-distance runners -- over-drinking during races is worse than under-drinking.

Goldfarb says he's not sure where the eight-glasses-of-water-a-day recommendation came from. There's just no rational basis for it, he says.

How healthy is your work environment? We all face challenges, for some it's an office full of candy dishes and donuts and for others it's about physical danger and hardhats are involved. There are different kinds of health hazards, but for the purposes of finding out which jobs were the unhealthiest the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently did a survey where they tracked how often employees in different professions sustained on-the-job injuries that caused them to miss at least one day of work.

The results may surprise you.

I came across this post at the Celebrity Baby Blog showing Nicole Kidman walking with her trainer and ... showing her pregnant belly! The post was pretty short, mostly consisting of pictures, but what was more interesting were the comments.

Many women seemed really concerned with the fact that Nic is working out so much and so hard during her pregnancy, especially given her age and history (she's had a miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy). Good God, her belly is so small! Oh, no, she's sweating!

Here's the thing -- there were stories posted about her attending a spinning class and walking with a trainer within the span of a week. There is no evidence that she's spending hours and hours at the gym each day (or any day, for that matter.

Obviously, Nicole was fit prior to becoming pregnant, and most doctors recommend keeping up some level of activity after becoming pregnant, unless there are problems. And, while each pregnancy is different, as is each pregnant woman, does anyone really think Nicole is about to put her baby at risk?

She's made it abundantly clear that she's over the moon about this pregnancy, and I'm pretty sure she (and her doctors, and her trainer) are well aware of her age and history. I think the opinions of those in the know -- don't you?

I have no problem pushing myself to try a new sport -- I might be nervous, or even scared, but usually when I set my mind to something, I just do it. However, there are a lot of sports I've never tried and probably never will because I feel like my fear is justified -- I don't want to surf Pipe, I don't want to try extreme mountain biking, and I'm quite sure I'm not going to go skydiving anytime soon.

Am I missing out on something? I came across this blog that initially reinforced my feelings, but as I read on, I began to question my resistance to trying some "dangerous" activities. Zandria, the blogger, included thoughts from quite a few people who had tried something really scary, ranging from trying a really challenging cardio class to mountain biking (in actual mountains) in below-freezing conditions. Even though these women were certainly frightened (or in pain) at some point, they still found joy and beauty in what they accomplished.

It doesn't make me want to try ski jumping, but it might make me rethink downhill skiing (which I've never tried -- I might break my leg!). And, I still don't think all sports are for everyone, but I do think that if you have some interest in something like mountain biking, you shouldn't let fear get in your way. Just think -- if it's something you truly want to try, will the pain of an injury you might sustain be worse than the anger or disappointment you will feel if you don't give it a shot?

If you think smoking is dangerous, you're right. Are there safe alternatives? I know a score of folks who have shifted to smokeless tobacco (not the best alternative) and just plain chewing gum. What about some kind of smoking tobacco alternative?

Like...a hookah? This device, which looks like some kid of medieval bong of sorts, is used with flavored tobacco and water as the "in" thing among some college students. However, a downside: a new report claims that just an hour of leisure hookah smoke exposure packs as much carbon monoxide as a pack-a-day cigarette habit. Yikes.

Although the report only looked at carbon monoxide exposure, that fact alone is a reason to steer clear of hookahs if you indeed use them. Carbon monoxide is an item you really, really don't want to voluntarily expose yourself to in any form.

I am so not a thrill-seeker. My idea of crazy is the big roller coaster at the theme park. But there are people out there (and you know who you are!) that love to have fun, risk their lives, and get their adrenaline pumping all at the same time. Many of the activities that fall into this category come in the form of sports, as the thrill comes from challenging yourself to see if you have the skills you need to survive. And what if you don't? Well, it's best not to think about that.

This list of the scariest (and most dangerous!) sports as compiled by Forbes Traveler includes everything from running with the bulls to sledging (I didn't even know what that was) to cliff diving. Do you have a favorite sport that gives you a thrill? And what is it about risking everything that makes these sports so fun?

Here's a holiday tip some readers may have heard about: Don't eat the mistletoe! Actually, that tip should be geared toward your children, but the context still stands. Have you ever seen one of those fliers that warn to keep it out of reach of kids and pets? This idea is where it came from.

The thinking was that mistletoe was toxic and could be deadly if ingested. Pretty scary proposition if you host holiday parties with lots of decorations. So is it true?

Actually, some good news is that mistletoe is not lethal. The claims were not unfounded, however, because mistletoe does contain viscotoxins. Those bad boys can cause an upset stomach or even a slowed heartbeat (watch out for the berries). So don't go mixing in mistletoe with a seasonal stew, but should someone you know accidentally eat it, don't panic! Just call your nearest poison control center.

It never hurts to do a little review on a topic that affects so many women, and some men too. The topic: Anorexia.

Anorexia Nervosa, a type of eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and leading to a restriction of food and dangerous weight loss, is one serious disease -- between one and two of every 10 cases of anorexia leads to death from starvation, cardiac arrest, medical complications, or suicide.

Anorexia can halt the physical and emotional growth of teenagers and can lead to premature osteoporosis, infertility, increased risk of miscarriage, and low-birth-weight babies. Anorexia may be especially deadly for women with insulin-dependent diabetes if they omit or under-use insulin to control their weight.

If you know any people that are abnormally skinny or seem to not ever eat very much, that person could indeed have the condition known as anorexia nervosa. That condition generally results in someone not heeding the call to stay at a minimum weight. They eat less and less until sometimes their health is at high risk (even for death) based on caloric intake decline alone.

If you know someone who may be anorexic, it's probably a great idea to pay attention to the below signs from the U.S. National Library of Medicine and find a way to speak with that person should the below be discovered. Anorexia is no laughing matter -- it is most definitely real.

• Extreme fear of gaining weight.
• Distorted impression of weight and body.
• Excessive weight loss, or being seriously underweight.
• Frequent use of laxatives, diet pills, or diuretics with the goal of losing weight.
• Eating very little food or very few calories.
• Missing periods, low blood pressure, lack of fat on the body, or pale or yellowish skin.
• Depression.

Don't drink those four cups of coffee while popping Tylenol, according to a report released this week. Researchers warned that high doses of caffeine and the pain relief ingredient acetaminophen could lead to liver damage.

How is that possible? Well, combining these two products in high doses can produce an unintended enzyme that's toxic to the liver.

But it does not stop with Tylenol -- large doses of painkillers that combine caffeine and acetaminophen are under the gun as also, as acetaminophen is often used to treat migraines, menstrual discomfort and pain-related conditions.

Should you dump caffeine while on over-the-counter acetaminophen products? Probably not, but limit intake.

What are the most harmful drugs? Chances are you'll answer heroin and cocaine, and while those are those are numbers 1 and 2 on a list from the Science Select Committee (respectively,) did you know that alcohol rounds out the top 5, along with street methadone and barbiturates? That's right -- though it's legal, good old booze is considered worse than LSD, ecstasy, tobacco, steroids, marijuana and many others.

I suppose I can see why -- it's abused by many people and it's also pretty addictive -- but despite it's addictive qualities, many people can safely drink without becoming alcoholics or alcohol abusers. I certainly think that tobacco is far more addictive, and LSD and ecstasy are far more harmful to your body.

What do you think about the list? Are your surprised?

(via Fitbuff)

For many of us the summer holidays mean traveling by car across cities and states to meet up with relatives or loved ones for festivities and fun. But with all those cars on the road traveling can be dangerous, with some places ending up more dangerous than others. Wonder if your plans will take you over any of the most dangerous roads this summer? According to elliot.org 57% of all traffic deaths happen on rural roads, and 75% of all public roads in the U.S. are considered rural. So the odds are you'll be doing some rural driving whether you like or not, and according to The Center for Excellence in Rural Safety here are the top 10 most dangerous places to drive:

• Maine
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Iowa
• Vermont
  
• Montana
• Wyoming
• South Carolina
• Mississippi
• Arkansas

Obviously many of these states probably landed on the list because they have more rural area than other states, but you may still find yourself passing through. Something to think about, and remember your seat belts!

I just went in to a convenient store to grab a newspaper and came across a disturbing conversation. As I got in line to pay for my paper I stood behind a woman with a large triangular white bandage across what I thought was her nose. Apparently I was wrong. She no longer had a nose.

What really got to me was the conversation she had with the clerk, who had about four reddish black sores on his face. Both were dealing with melanoma - skin cancer - and both were joking about who would die sooner. Of course laughter was probably a relief to the stress they were feeling, but it stressed me out.

Folks, Melanoma is not funny at all, in fact it is the most serious form of cancer. It is deadly and the mere thought of having pieces of my face removed frequently to remove cancerous moles......nonetheless removing my nose makes me want to go buy a closet full of sun block and hats. Don't screw around! It's summer, the sun will be blazing and it is dangerous.

Merck has stopped promoting the mandatory use of Gardasil that targets the human papillomavirus (HPV). It's probably no coincidence that their turn-around comes at the same time that reports from the National Vaccine Information Center are surfacing about fainting and dizziness reported by dozens of patients as side effects of Gardasil. There are also some concerns that Gardasil may cause infertility.

An early version of the Virginia house bill contained a clause addressing liability issues "if a female who is inoculated with the HPV vaccine becomes incapable of naturally conceiving a healthy child carried to live birth or experiences impaired fertility as a result of the HPV vaccine".

Legislators got that idea because the vaccine contains Polysorbate 80, which is linked to infertility in mice. The Merck HPV vaccine also contains sodium borate which is a common roach killer in each of its three doses. The National Library of Medicine (NLM) of the National Institutes of Health notes of sodium borate that it "is now known to be a dangerous poison, it is no longer commonly used in medical preparations." That was published in 2005. Yet the FDA in 2006 approved the Merck vaccine with this "dangerous poison" to be "commonly used" in these vaccinations. The symptoms of sodium borate poisoning according to the NLM citation include many of the side effects being reported after less than six months of the vaccine usage. These include convulsions, collapse, and seizures that include twitching of facial muscles, arms, hands, legs, and feet.

How many of these young women taking this vaccine will find out that they are barren 10 to 15 years down the road and what will their options be if they are forced to take this drug because of legislation mandates?

Okay, so "never" is pretty strong language, but the mentality here is that these select foods are some of the most detrimental to your healthy diet. Unfortunately, these foods are also very practical and it may just break your heart to learn that Pepperidge Farm's roasted chicken pot pie packs over 1,000 calories and 31 grams of fat. Even if you consumed the daily allowance for saturated fat, you'd be eating more than a day's worth in this single meal!

So what else was on the list? Well, the The Cheesecake Factory's 6 Carb Cheesecake throws up a red flag. Six carbs may not sound bad, but at 29 grams of fat and over 600 calories, it's more like eating a prime rib for dessert. Also on the list is Campbell's Chunky, Select, and other condensed soups. What could be so bad about them? Well, it isn't in the caloric intake, but rather the sodium content. A single can averages an individual's daily allotment for salt.

There are healthier alternatives to most of the foods talked about here. For instance, you can pick up Campbell's Healthy Request featuring much less sodium just as easy as the other kind. And don't worry: eating these foods won't kill you. It wouldn't hurt to nibble on a Mrs. Fields Milk Chocolate & Walnuts cookie if it was in moderation, just like anything else.