Women's Bodies Are So Gross!

You Should Fear The Barbie Crotch | xoJane: Really, there isn't a whole lot I can add to this brilliant article, except that you shouldn't read it if you're squeamish about lady bits, and you should definitely read it if you own a set of lady bits.

Also, the woman that designed this stupid product has clearly never heard of how our paleolithic ancestors revered vulva for their life-giving power. If she had, maybe she wouldn't be so ashamed of her own that she has to try to make herself feel better by telling other women to be ashamed of theirs.

As for me, I can only strive daily to not buy into this culture of self-loathing. I can only tell myself as often as possible that there is nothing wrong with my face, hair, figure, or sexual organs that needs to be "fixed" by anything I can buy at a store. And if I'm going to cave on something, it's going to be a bottle of nail polish, not a designer anti-cameltoe apparatus.

'via Blog this'

Placebo Effect: Power of the Mind

The Strange Powers of the Placebo Effect: There have been tons of studies about the Placebo Effect, and it always shocks me that people ignore the obvious. Researchers always find the results weird and baffling, and many people ridicule folks who are "tricked" into thinking they're feeling better because of a placebo. But new-agers and pagans out there don't so much as bat an eye at things like this. Is it because they're cuckoo, or because they simply accept the power of the mind to manifest an outcome? And while we're on the placebo topic... Do conventional medicines become less effective if the patient is told that it's a placebo? I'd like to know if any of the success medicines enjoy is because we believe docs when they tell us a medicine will work.

'via Blog this'

Up With Cholesterol, Down With Iron

New Study: Women With Higher Cholesterol Live Longer | AnthonyColpo: Aside from the article being both informative and humorous, it brings to mind a few thoughts.

1) We as a society are so into polarity and extremes, that we are destroying ourselves with it. Everything is either soooo awesome, it's a miracle cure and you should eat it every meal every day; or it's horribly bad, causing cancer and you should never allow it into your home. In most things, I'm not given to this sort of extremism, as I haven't experienced anything in the world to be so black-and-white. Moderation is the key to health and happiness.

2) Putting your faith in a quick-fix pill for ANY kind of health problem is almost always a mistake. Many pharmaceuticals have side effects worse than the symptoms they're designed to treat. And make no mistake, pills do just that: treat symptoms. They do not cure underlying causes or rectify the imbalances that caused your problem in the first place, so even if a drug seems to be "working," you've likely just stuck a Band-Aid on your problem. Nothing replaces improving your health through lifestyle changes.

3) Doctors do not always know what's best for you. Passively accepting everything a doctor tells you and popping the little pills is doing yourself a serious disservice. Yes, doctors are trained specialists. But there is more to know about health and medicine than can be squeezed into any one doctor's head. And health knowledge changes at a pace that no one can adequately keep up with. You certainly can't expect your doctor to have all the latest and greatest info about every little thing that's ailing you. You should be your own best health expert. Besides, most doctors these days are ruled by the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies. Listen to what your doc has to say, but then apply your own reason and research.

'via Blog this'

For Health, Listen to Your Body

'Health' Rules You Can Break - 1 - MSN Health - Nutrition Slide Show: OK, so I typically find most of these MSN articles to be pretty shallow and obvious. But a lot of the info in this one really makes a point that many of us have forgotten in our society. We are so obsessed with what Dr. Whoever says we're supposed to be doing, that we have forgotten to do what's really good for us, which is to listen to our bodies. We're obsessed with experts around here. We always think there is some brilliant, super-educated person who can give us the definitive answer that will make us look and feel terrific. But there is no one-size-fits-all health and fitness protocol. Every body is different. What we need most is to stop and listen to our bodies; something we are never encouraged to do. But it would solve a lot of problems. It's amazing how different you can feel just by asking yourself, "Am I going to the pantry because I'm hungry, or because I'm bored or upset?" or "Do I feel better after doing yoga for an hour or after doing circuit training for 20 minutes?" or, "How do I feel after eating this much bread?" Yes, there's lots of good expert advice out there that shouldn't be ignored, but don't follow the prevailing health dogma at the expense of what an equally important expert, your own body, has to say.


'via Blog this'