After writing about how bad the sun is for you I have found this very balanced article by Robert Bazell at MSNBC that offers a great counter point to how good or bad the sun is for you. As always I believe that some good research is the most important way for anyone to decide weather they are doing the right thing or not as everyone has a bias as far as this subject goes.

The heresy: the sun can be healthy. The heretic: Dr. Michael Holick of Boston University, a seemingly gentle, but combative scientist-physician who studies the beneficial effects of Vitamin D, produced by our skin when exposed to the sun.

Report a story about Holick’s research and a reporter can expect to get — as I did — a rocket in the name of the president of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) alleging that the information endangers America’s health.

This battle is not about facts
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If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Be sure to find out how you can change your life with the Free Fitness program.

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: America, American Academy of Dermatology, Boston University, breast cancer, combative scientist-physician, Dermatology Department, heart disease, high blood pressure, melanoma, Michael Holick, National Cancer Institute, nevi, New England Journal, New England Journal of Medicine, osteoporosis, president, prostate cancer, reporter, rickets, Robert Bazell, skin cancer, squamous cell carcinomas, sunburns, Thomas Kupper, Vitamin D, Vitamin D deficiency, Women�s Hospital

Any decision you make about your health care is important–including deciding whether to use acupuncture. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has developed this fact sheet to provide you with information on acupuncture. It includes frequently asked questions, issues to consider, and a list of sources for further information. Terms that are underlined are defined at the end of this fact sheet.

Key Points
Acupuncture originated in China more than 2,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest and most commonly used medical procedures in the world.

It is important to inform all of your health care providers about any treatment that you are using or considering, including acupuncture. Ask about the treatment procedures that will be used and their likelihood of success for your condition or disease.

Be an informed consumer and find out what scientific studies have been done on the effectiveness of acupuncture for your health condition.

If you decide to use acupuncture, choose the practitioner with care. Also check with your insurer to see if the services will be covered.
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Tags: acupuncture, acupuncture points, Alternative Medicine, Asthma, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, chemotherapy, China, Complementary Medicine, complex chronic, cramps, energy, fatigue, fibromyalgia, headache, health care systems, insurance plans, irritable bowel syndrome, James Reston, Japan, Korea, Massage, meditation, meridians, muscle pain, National Center for Complementary, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institute of Health, nausea, negative energy, New York Times, Office of Alternative Medicine, osteoarthritis, pain, physician, placebos, positive energy, reporter, stroke, surgery, tennis elbow, traditional Chinese medicine, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, United States, vomiting, Web search engines

A couple years ago my wife was considering weight loss surgery as her years off dieting and exercise and the yoyo weight loss/gain nightmare had mad her tired of the whole weight loss industry. Using Weight Watchers and getting the exercise to a more moderate lvel have helped Michelle lose three pounds or so per week and she is quickly dropping the weight that was so stubborn just a couple of years back. Yesterday Michelle got a call for the gastric bypass surgery consultation which here in Alberta Canada takes 19 months, I am happy to say that she turned it down because a healthy lifestyle has maed the difference for her. As you probably know there are a lot of instances where this surgery is really helpful for people but only in cases where there is a risk of imminent death by now doing something as drastic as this surgery is.

I have found an article from Bloomberg that I think really shows the importance of this surgery and the possible implications. Below are some exerpts from that article.
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Tags: American Medical Association, arthritis, associate professor, back surgery, bariatric surgeries, bariatric surgery, Bloomberg, Bruce M. Wolfe, California, David R. Flum, David S. Zingmond, diabetes, food, Gastric bypass, gastric bypass surgery, GBP, health care services, heart surgery, high blood pressure, hip replacement, insurance, John M. Morton, Journal of the American Medical Association, knee surgery, lead researcher, Los Angeles, Medicare, Michelle Fay Cortez, Minneapolis, obesity, obesity surgery, Oregon Health Science University in Portland, plastic surgery, Portland, professor of medicine, professor of surgery, reporter, Seattle, Stanford University in California, surgeries, surgery, UCLA's School of Medicine, United States, University of California at Los Angeles, University of Washington in Seattle, weight loss surgery

Here is an article from The Salt Lake City Daily Herald. I am including it as it does show the way that METs which are a calculation of workout based on oxygen consumption.

Disheartened by a failed marriage and years of weight gain, Ellen Bowden decided to turn to a personal trainer to help reshape her body and lifestyle.

Since January, the 47-year-old Salt Lake City court mediator has lost 11 percent body fat, shed about 25 pounds, improved her diet, quit smoking and toned up under the guidance of Michael Streeter at the 24 Hour Fitness center in Sugar House.

Streeter designed an exercise program for Bowden using the Karvonen formula, which calculates a person’s target heart rate by a person’s age and pulse. Three or four days a week, Bowden hits her rate of 144 on the elliptical machine.
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Tags: aerobics instructor and personal trainer, Ashley Jensen, Cardiologist, Carey Hamilton, Chicago, Chicago's Rush University Medical Center, diabetes, Ellen Bowden, fitness, Fitness Institute, Fitness Institute at LDS Hospital, Frank Yanowitz, high blood pressure, LDS Hospital, manager of Ladies Workout Express, Marci King, Martha Gulati, mediator, medical director, Melissa Walred, Michael Streeter, Mike Young, personal trainer, personal training director, reporter, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City court, sports science, Stephanie Christian, The New England Journal, The New England Journal of Medicine, The Salt Lake City Daily Herald, the Salt Lake Tribune, University of Utah, Utah, XCel Spa