Sunscreen is more than SPF

When you read a sunscreen label, don't skip the fine print — and don't forget to read between the lines.

Consumers who want to save their skin this summer need to be vigilant, sun protection experts say, because confusing, sometimes misleading labels still line drugstore shelves nearly two years after the Food and Drug Administration proposed new labeling rules. Companies that make the products say they comply with current rules.

The new rules could be finalized by September, says FDA spokeswoman Rita Chapelle. Companies will then have up to 18 months to comply, she says.

In the meantime, consumers are stuck with current labels, which usually emphasize, in big letters, just one fact about a product: its SPF, or sun protection factor. That fact is good to know. Link

Experimental Lymphoma Cancer Vaccine: Promising Results

A vaccine that uses cancer cells against themselves significantly slows the progress of a deadly form of blood cancer, a researcher said at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

In patients with follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the vaccine -- dubbed BiovaxID -- nearly doubled the time before the disease recurred, compared with a control drug, according to Dr. Stephen Schuster of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. Link

Stomach & Breast Cancer Drugs: Promising Result

The breast cancer drug Herceptin may now have a role in treating stomach cancer as well, according to study results announced here on Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Scientists also announced that a new class of drugs called PARP inhibitors has shown promise against hard-to-treat forms of breast cancer and that a cancer vaccine for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that struck out twice might have succeeded on a third try. Link

Get Fit with Pilates- Shoulder exercise

This is one more in the series of exercises that help heal a ‘bad neck’.

Shoulder circles

Preparation: Stand up tall and pull the powerhouse in to support the movements. Lengthen the spine and let the arms hang comfortably by your side.

Action: Pull your shoulders back ‘tweezing’ (bringing together) the shoulder blades together. Lift your shoulders and circle them forward as you bring them towards the ears. Circle your shoulders forward and bring them back and complete five rounds this way. Remember, if you had paintbrushes sticking straight out of your shoulders, you could paint circles in this manner. Now bring the shoulders back to the centre and prepare to reverse the circle. Push the shoulders forward and circle up, pulling the shoulders towards the ears. Circle back ‘tweezing’ the shoulder blades together and repeat this five times.

Benefits: This will ease out the neck, shoulders and back immeasurably. Be aware of every movement and do not rush to complete a circle. One very important aspect in the healing process is our sense of control.

We complete the series of healing a ‘bad neck’ that is unable to move in a full range of motion. Next week we move on to the lower back.

Tags: shoulder exercise, shoulder exercises, shoulder range of motion exercises, frozen shoulder exercise, shoulder pain exercise, shoulder physical therapy exercises, shoulder strengthening exercise, exercise for shoulder pain

Are you a sugar addict? Know

Do you have a sweet secret? Do you hide candy wrappers under the trash so no one will know you have eaten so many? Have you ever snacked on sweets before the family came home, so they wouldn’t know who ate the last ones? Does chocolate run your life more than you want to admit? Do you joke about being a ‘sweet freak’?

These are, apparently, signs of sugar addiction. And so long as you continue to be a sugar junkie, all diets and workouts will come to nothing. No, we are not making this up. This is the latest from the fitness parlours. Find out if sugar is your drug — and whether or not it's time to kick the habit — by completing the following quiz. This quiz is not a diagnostic tool. It’s part spoof, part serious. Just to give you an idea.

1. “I have often told myself, ‘Starting Monday, no chocolates!’”

True

False

2.“I used to get one bar of chocolate at one time, but now I buy three at a time.”

True

False

3.“I have often told myself that I was going to have just a bite of ice cream and ended up eating the whole thing all by myself.”

True

False

4.“They say life is about sugar and spice and everything nice. But I suspect that if I gobble sugary stuff, I get cranky."

True

False

5.“When someone offers cake at a party, I’ll knock a five-year-old out of my way to get the piece with the most frosting."

True

False

6.“I choose a restaurant based on the quality of their desserts even though it’s quite far from my place.”

True

False

7.“I have often crawled through the morning with a headache and crankiness that got better the moment I ate something sweet.”

True

False

8.“I feel that “something is missing” if I watch TV without something to snack on.”

True

False

9.“I find that I “need” to grab a hamburger or pizza at a fast-food joint at least two times a week.”

True

False

10.“I’m feeling slightly uncomfortable just reading the above.”

True

False

11. “I can go from one day to the next without drinking a sweetened soft drink.”

True

False

12. “I do not eat something sweet after each meal.”

True

False

Know yourself

If you answered “yes” to five or more of the above, you are probably sugar-sensitive — the same way an alcoholic is addicted to alcohol. You crave sugar, have withdrawal symptoms when you don’t get it, and probably feel better for a short time after you’ve eaten it. In eating sugar to feel better, you are actually making your condition worse. If you answered “yes” to less than five statements, it doesn't mean you don't have a problem with sugar. You may not be addicted to it, but perhaps you don’t quite realise just how much sugar you are eating.

Tags: Sweet secret, chocolates