That's Fit

Wellness programs are gaining popularity with employers (about 1/3 of companies in the U.S. now offer them) and for many, it's a real blessing, after all who wouldn't want a free gym membership sitting out there that they can use or not, or free health screenings and flu shots available right on the job site?

If water isn't enough to quench your thirst, you're in luck. A new UCLA study reveals the top 10 healthiest drinks, and AOL News features the nitty gritty on the whole lot right here. And guess what? Nine of them are fruit based. Here they are.

• Apple Juice
• Tea
• Orange Juice
• Cranberry Juice
• Acai Juice
• Black Cherry Juice
• Blueberry Juice
• Concord Grape Juice
• Red Wine
• Pomegranate Juice
  

What makes these drinks so healthy? Antioxidants, mostly. The more vivid the color, the more antioxidants there are. No wonder so many berry drinks made the cut.

In a situation that goes far beyond medical malpractice, a California surgeon is facing three counts of felony for allegedly speeding up the death of a man to get his organs. Dr. Roozrokh attended Stanford University, but now he could find himself spending the next eight years behind bars.

Prosecutors say he prescribed doses of drugs that caused Ruben Navarro's death. This was in an effort to get his organs (like kidneys and liver). He was supposedly given Betadine, which is a topical medication, but is said to cause death if ingested. A hearing is going on today, but something tells me a case like this could drag on for a long time.

What's sad is that this allegation, regardless about whether it's true or not, will put a little bit of fear in the hearts of potential donors in the future. Hopefully this won't cause people to pull their participation in donor programs. If you want to hear more about the case, visit the NY Times article here.

It seems blue is the least desirable color when it comes to eating -- so whip out those blue plates if you wish to slim down your appetite.

Other tricks for trimming down, according to E! News, include popping some breath strips before eating -- this will temporarily kill your taste buds -- and snacking on parsley, enjoying a handful of nuts 30 minutes prior to a meal, partaking in a little salad with vinegar on top, and brushing your teeth. Matthew McConaughey reportedly does it 10 times a day. Maybe that's how he keeps his killer bod.

Reader's Digest experts offer a few tips for controlling cravings. Destroy temptation, they say. And they mean destroy. Take the package of cookies you mistakenly bought, dump them in the sink, and douse them in water. Your temptation will be gone, and you'll feel a sense of accomplishment at having licked your binge.

Sometimes it may feel like you just can't win against science. For diabetics, at least, there's some new information that contradicts twenty years worth of thinking: too much good cholesterol is bad.

A biochemist and his team at the University of Kentucky say that too much HDL in the blood causes the molecules to bind with myrisitc acid. This long-chain fatty acid increases the risk for cardiovascular disease. So instead of helping the heart like in other people, "good" cholesterol actually works against diabetics.

Given the slew of press concerning the healthier variety of cholesterol, this comes as a shocker. We've seen medicines, diets and a dozen tips to raise HDL. Now they're saying stop? Well, actually researchers urge diabetics to not try and lower their levels -- talking with your doctor should probably advised. Hopefully this study will help them understand how to tackle the issue and make good cholesterol good again!

I wrote the other day about employers offering financial incentives to staff members for losing weight. And while washing dishes Tuesday night after eating an experimental homemade pizza with fat-free cheese -- it was pretty good -- I stumbled upon NBC Nightly News and a commentary about this very weight-loss reward system. It went beyond the discussion of monetary prizes for shedding pounds, though. It addressed the fact that some employers are punishing employees for unhealthy lifestyle choices.

It was like listening to a parenting expert discuss rewarding and punishing kids for poor behavior. I'm always stuck on the topic -- do I go overboard with praise and ignore defiant outbursts so my kids realize only positive behavior gets attention? Or do I punish my kiddos for poor choices so they learn not to repeat them? Like my confusion on this topic, I'm not so sure about the workplace health scenario.

So some employers are raising insurance premiums for the overweight, for those who won't consent to health assessments, and for those who choose to smoke. It's all in an attempt to lower health care costs, minimize absenteeism, and promote wellness. The whole punishment approach seems harsh. It makes sense too. See how I'm wavering?

What do you think?

When Jacksonville, Fla news anchor Donna Hicken was diagnosed with breast cancer, she decided she wasn't just going to fight the disease by and for herself, choosing instead to both battle cancer and raise money for a cure. Now, after surviving two occurrences of the disease, Hicken has organized America's first marathon that is solely dedicated to fighting breast cancer.

Hicken, who relates the battle to deal with and beat cancer to running a marathon, has founded The Donna Hicken Foundation, which aims to help under-served women in the Jacksonville area who have been diagnosed with breast cancer deal with everything from financial needs to psychological ones.

26.2 with Donna The National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer takes place for the first time on February 17, 2008 at Jacksonville Beach. Activities at the weekend-long event include a marathon, a half-marathon, a kid's marathon, a pasta dinner, a concert and a health expo. 100% of the monies raised will go to the Donna Hicken Foundation, which has pledged that the majority of the funds will be donated to the Mayo Clinic's Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic.

Approximately 200,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. If you would like to be one of the thousands helping to find a cure, visit the website for 26.2 with Donna The National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer and find out more about running in the event as well as being a volunteer.

In the world of health research there's always bad news, and although it's mixed in with plenty of good news it's all too easy to get caught focusing on the negative and letting yourself get worked up and upset. It's no fun to hear that one of your die-hard habits is bad for you, and then right when you're getting a grip on quitting then it's good for you again, and now wait....yep it's still okay...sorta (think coffee). Geez! Give us a break already!

If you're feeling frustrated and are having trouble dealing with all the ups and downs of everyday health news then try one (or a few!) of these 7 ways of dealing with alarming new research. Or share some of your own methods -- what do you do to stay sane but current on the latest and greatest in health knowledge?

Here's a story for the archives of bizarre and somewhat disturbing news: A beautician has been jailed for killing a client of hers by injecting her with cooking oil -- in her buttocks. Apparently the beautician has been using the corn oil as an anti-aging treatment, and has given it to several of her clients over the years.

46-year-old Maria Olivia Castillo died of multiple organ failure caused by fat blockages throughout her body as a result of the treatments. Martha Mata Vasquez pleaded guilty to manslaughter and has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

This isn't the first time the quest for beauty has had fatal consequences, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Please, if you feel the need to take measures to turn back the clock, do it with a medical professional or at least a trained beauty expert who uses legitimate anti-aging treatments.

Why on earth would Japanese officials want to burn over 10,000 chickens anyway? Well, the authorities started the process after the chickens were found to have the bird flu or were culled at the farm they started dying in. A broad subtype of the bird flu known as H5 is the culprit, and while not necessarily fatal to us, it is very pathogenic to the unfortunate poultry.

Want to know how serious they are about the threat? The Japanese government "has banned shipments of eggs and 330,000 chickens at 16 poultry farms within a 6.2-mile radius of the farm," according to the article. They are not taking any chances considering that over 150 people have died worldwide due to a strain of the bird flu.

Given the numbers, it seems as though trans fat poses more of a threat than this health hazard. But even so, it is still interesting to see how other countries are going to great lengths to protect themselves.

The Guardian is reporting on a revolutionary new way to possibly fight cancer in the future using the common cold virus of all things. By injecting the infected tissue with a cold, British researchers are hoping that this method may complement other popular ways of fighting cancer like chemotherapy.

Because cancer naturally stops a person's immune system from killing it off, a cold virus would find the cellular environment of a tumor very appealing since there is no immune response. Scientists say they would only need to inject a small amount of virus cells because they would quickly replicate and burst the tumor cells. After that it's just a matter of repetition and reproduction.

This way of combating cancer would hopefully target the secondary variety called metastases which goes on to kill 75 percent of malignant cancer patients. We've still got several years of clinical trials before this could become a new weapon. Even so, any lucky break with these stealth viruses could revolutionize how doctors fight cancer.