Health Controversy: Jenny McCarthy's Prescription for Hot Yoga During Pregnancy

My experience with hot yoga wasn't entirely positive (let's just say, I thought I was going to die right there in the 100 degree studio). Still, I remain intrigued by this intense form of yoga, and hope to get my courage up to try again. Meanwhile, I'm curious what you think of the recent comments from Jenny McCarthy about hot yoga during pregnancy...

Jenny McCarthy revealed on Regis and Kelly this week how Bikram yoga (aka "hot yoga") kept her energy level up and her body fit throughout her pregnancy, which caused some to raise their eyebrows a bit. Hot yoga during pregnancy? Is this safe?

I spoke to Bikram yoga practitioner Jennifer Lobo, the co-owner of Bikram Yoga NYC (who happens to be 8 months pregnant herself and actively yoga-ing--doesn't she look amazing in the photo above?) about Jenny McCarthy's comments:

Health Controversy: Experts Are Worried About the New Alcoholic Whipped Cream Cans

Remember the controversy about Four Loko--the caffeine-spiked alcoholic beverage that's on its way to being banned in many states? Well, there's a new boozy product raising eyebrows over concerns that kids might get a hold of it--alcoholic whipped cream. Should this stuff be outlawed too? Or are we taking things a little too far?

TIME reports that products such as "Cream" and "Whipped Lightning" are appearing on liquor store shelves across the country. They're canisters of whipped dairy (like Reddi-wip) that pack a "30-proof wallop." Known as "whipahol," the stuff is supposed to be used on coffee drinks, hot toddies, etc., but experts worry that kids will get a hold of it and--yup--spray the stuff right into their mouths. Ingesting an entire can could amount to anywhere between 4 and 8 alcoholic beverages, depending on the brand.

Health Controversy: A New Study Says Light Drinking While Pregnant Is No Big Deal--Do You Agree?

I'm 5 months pregnant, and I will admit, I miss my occasional glass of red wine in the evenings (OK, I REALLY miss it!), so my ears perked up when I ran across this hot-off-the-press study which concludes that light drinking during pregnancy poses no risk to developing babes. Fascinating, yes, but here's why I just can't get on board...

Would I love to pour a glass of wine and enjoy it with my guy tonight? Oh yes I would! But, I'm pregnant, and I have concerns, even after a controversial new study was released this week--indicating that women who drank a bit here and there while pregnant posed no real risk to their developing babies.

Healthy Reminder: Here's a Quick Way to Boost Your Spirits--Right at Your Desk!

When I'm working on a big writing deadline, sometimes I can feel overwhelmed, grumpy or sad (especially when I start thinking about how I'm chained to my desk when I'd rather be outside doing sometime fun!). But you know what helps me snap out of my funk and boosts my productivity--every single time? It just takes one click ...

Music!

I know, so simple right? But for me, it's not any music, it's jazz. I flip on my favorite online streaming jazz station (no elevator or smooth jazz here, just the good stuff--come listen with me!), and I instantly feel a little calmer, happier and even more focused. I swear that jazz must have some sort of medicinal properties. But, the point isn't about jazz--it's about music. Listen to your favorite music--whether it's on your computer or iPod or whatever--and just wait for your mood to improve. It will, I promise!

Healthy Relationships: When A Kiss Leaves You Tingly All Over, You Could Be Allergic

Allergic to love? Nah. But a new medical report out warns that it's more common than you think to feel tingly after kissing or sex due to ... an allergic reaction. Details ...

Does he make you feel tingly all over? That's a good thing, right? Well, not if you feel tingling or numbness in your mouth or down south after kissing or after sex. Here's why, say allergists: Experts are seeing more cases of love-induced allergic reactions from kissing and sex.

It's sounds far-fetched, but if you have a diagnosed (or undiagnosed allergy to a certain food or medication), it's very possible that you can have an allergic response even after your guy has brushed his teeth, and sometimes even hours later.

Healthy Recipe: Lower-Calorie Whoopie Pies

They look a bit like very large sandwich cookies filled with cream, but whoopie pies are actually made out of cake batter and filled with frosting or marshmallow fluff. Athena writes in from Boston, Mass., with the request to rehab these traditional New England specialties. She has never actually made them herself, but she admits that the ones sitting on the counter in the stores are difficult to resist even though she knows they are packed with sugar and contain nearly 20 grams of fat.

Most of that fat comes from the filling made out of vegetable shortening. In order to create a healthier recipe, I will lighten up the filling by using non-fat Greek yogurt and Neufchatel cream cheese. I will also lighten the load of sugar by reducing the amount. As for the cake part of the sandwiches, I will replace the shortening here as well, but I will use mashed banana to add nutrition and fiber, and I will also reduce the amount of sugar. In order to boost the fiber content even further, I will replace half of the flour with whole wheat flour.

Have You Ever Swapped One Addiction for Another? I Have.

As difficult as it still is for me to say this publicly...

...I struggle with food addiction. That inability to stop eating certain foods once I start led me to where I was 75 pounds ago. But putting down the food hasn't been easy--for so long, it was what I used to deal with and escape from life. That kind of crutch is difficult to give up without leaning on something else. So I've picked up other habits along the way. At one point I had become a little manic about exercise, though I no longer abuse it or see working out as a means to eat all I want--I work out moderately, not obsessively, these days. Then it was gum. Later, coffee. And now it's sugar-free, Sweet'n Low-sweetened butterscotch hard candy. I started "using" these after dinner, thinking if I kept one in my mouth, I wouldn't leap into the kitchen after dinner looking for things to graze on. It worked for a few days--until I started biting into the hard candy (ouch!) and eating multiples at a time. Last night I had, oh, about half the bag. This morning I had...Pepto-Bismol. Not fun.

Happy First Day of Autumn! What Are Your Health and Fitness Goals for the Season?

Hi my dears! Autumn is here (my favorite season--yay!). As the season changes, I always take stock of what my health and fitness goals are for the months ahead. Here's what's on my list, what's on yours?

My health and fitness to-do list for this season:

*Get a full-body skin check (to check for signs of melanoma) at my dermatologist's office. Check! (Done last week.)

*Find a new primary care doctor (time for a change, I think).

*Get my vitamin D levels checked (D is so important for so many of the body's systems that I want to know where I clock in at and how much D I should be supplementing with).

Good Morning! Let's Have a Vanilla-Date Breakfast Smoothie

Do you fall back on smoothies in the a.m. hours? I sometimes get lazy about pulling my blender out (and then having to wash it), but when I do, I'm always happy with the breakfast concoctions I whip up. Like this one ...

I'm loving this simple vanilla-date breakfast smoothie. Here's the simple how-to:

Blend one cup of nonfat yogurt, one cup of nonfat milk or soymilk, 1 cup (packed) pitted Medjool dates (about 9 ounces), 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 cups ice cubes. Serves 2.

What's your favorite type of smoothie? And, what do you think of dates? Love them? (I do. They're like nature's candy.)

Germy News: Doc Appointment? Avoid Touching This in the Waiting Room

The point of going to see the doctor is to get well, not to get sick, right? That's why health experts in England are starting to ban certain common waiting room items, in the name of keeping people healthy. Meanwhile here in the US, you'll find plenty of these germ-loaded things in waiting rooms. Touch at your own risk, say experts ...

Did you know that potentially harmful germs can live on magazines in waiting room for up to 18 hours? This is why health officials in England are starting to ban magazines and children's toys in the waiting rooms of hospitals and health clinics.

Instead, patients are being encouraged to bring their own reading material, and the germ police have taken it a step further: Cloth chairs are being swapped for plastic ones that are disinfected every few hours.

Fitness Trend: Nordic Walking (Would You Dare?)

I've been seeing a lot of people in my city, Seattle, trekking around town with ski poles, yep, with no snow on the ground. The fitness craze called "Nordic walking" has been around for awhile, but I think it's gained some new converts recently. Would you try it?

If you like to ski, you might like a sport called Nordic walking. Yes, you just walk or hike with specially made poles (similar to ski poles, but made specially for walking). Experts say this type of walking works all the major muscle groups in the body and is almost 50 percent more efficient than normal walking, at least according to the American Nordic Walking Association.

Everyone's Talking About Hula Hooping! Could You Get Into It?

I think we're experiencing a hula hoop revival. Everywhere I look, someone's talking about them! Truth be told, I'm a huge fan. They make me feel like I'm exactly 12 years old, and I can't take a spin without giggling. Fun, yes, and healthy too, say some fitness experts. Do you own one? Should you buy one?

I spent the 4th of July holiday at my grandma's beach house and some of my younger cousins brought out the hula hoops. Of course, I had to pick one up and show off a little (I was once a hula-hooping champ back in the day, you know--well, if you count family competitions on the lawn!).

"Hooping," as Laurel House writes on Shine, "is becoming the exercise of choice for everyone from hipsters to boomers all looking to make their workouts do more in less time and actually enjoy it." She goes on to write about a woman who lost two dress sizes in two months by hooping alone. "Most of all, people are happy when they're hooping. It doesn't even feel like exercise!"

Enzyme Could Battle Obesity, Diabetes

Obesity is a growing problem and can lead to complications with another ailment -- diabetes. Researchers in Canada say they've found a key enzyme in the body that could lead to new drugs to combat both these conditions.

Scientists at the Merck Frosst Center for Therapeutic Research in Quebec say the enzyme is connected with both weight gain and the most common form of diabetes. Mice in which the substance was genetically engineered remained slender on a high-fat, high-calorie diet while normal mice showed signs of developing diabetes.

If drugs can be developed from this research, experts say, it could lead to better methods for keeping weight under control, or event prevent obesity. And it could open the door to new ways to treat the estimated 1.75 million sufferers of non-insulin dependent diabetes.

Eat Fish, Get Happy

Ever wondered why depression is running rampant worldwide? A British expert on brain development says that our fish-diminished diet is partly at fault.

According to Michael Crawford, Ph.D., director of the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition at the University of North London, we are eating half the amount of oily fish we ate 50 years ago. Crawford says that this lack of fish may be linked to the current global epidemic of depression as well as the global heart disease epidemic.

Scientists have long understood the benefits of oily fish in heart disease prevention and treatment. But oily fish, such as sardines, mackerel, trout, tuna and salmon, which contain omega-3 fatty acids, are essential for a healthy brain and nervous system. In cutting down on fatty foods to help prevent heart disease, people have eliminated oily fish and seafood, theorizes Crawford.

Drug Fights Menopause Woes

Clinical trials of Rimostil, a plant-based estrogen made from isoflavones, indicate it helps prevent osteoporosis and heart disease in menopausal women.

The results, outlined at the recent North American Menopause Society's annual conference, show Rimostil was able to increase bone density and HDL or "good" cholesterol without any adverse side effects in women tested.

Rimostil, developed by the Connecticut-based Novogen Inc., is set for release next year and differs from regular estrogen in its mixture of different plant isoflavones. Studies show it can increase cortical bone density -- the bone involved in hip fractures -- by 4 percent over six months, well beyond what regular estrogen therapy has recorded.

Is "Sex Addiction" Real or Ridiculous? The Great Debate

Recently I caught a few minutes of a Dr. Phil Show rerun (you know when you're channel surfing and really tired and sort of spaced out about what you're watching--that was me). On the episode, Dr. Phil was doing his trademark in-your-face thing, questioning a man about whether "sexual addiction" was a legitimate "diagnosis" for his infidelity. With David Duchovny leaving rehab this week for his "sex addiction" a lot of people are wondering whether this behavior is real or just medical speak for "I want to fool around."

Opinion among medical experts seems to be divided. Some say sex addiction is a mental disease, others claim it's just a "narcissistic indulgence." Still more believe that it might be linked to other things, such as depression or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Drug, Allergic Reaction Linked

The popular alternative drug echinacea can cause allergic reactions, particularly in folks who have a hereditary bent toward allergic disease. A study by researchers at the John James Medical Centre in Canberra, Australia, links 23 cases of allergic reactions to echinacea.

The study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in San Diego, says a further study of 100 individuals who had never taken echinacea shows 20 percent had positive skin allergy tests to it. The researchers suggest physicians take a more active role in talking about alternative medications to patients who are prone to allergic diseases.

Drink Fluids To Fight a Cold?

You’ve heard it a million times.  Drink lots of fluids when you’re sick.  How true is it, though?

According to a recent study by a team of Australian scientists, drinking extra fluids during a cold may not do much good at all in terms of healing.

Huh.

So have our docs and moms been giving us bad medical advice all along?

Not necessarily.  While the scientists admit that keeping hydrated while sick is important, they believe the “drink more fluids” line needs to be studied more closely to determine its validity.

And there you have it.  Another piece of health advice debunked!

What methods to you use to try to beat the common cold?

Jessica Alba's New Get-Fit Secret

Doesn't Jessica Alba look great these days? It never ceases to amaze me how celebs snap back to their pre-baby bodies in mere seconds after giving birth (Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry, Angelina, just to name a few), then again, let's remember that they have the motivation (the spotlight) and the means (lots of cash) to hire the help they need to look great. Besides all that, want to know what seems to be working for Jessica Alba?

According to reports, Jess is loving her new Expresso Fitness exercise bike, which she recently added to her at-home gym (oh, and that's another thing that celebs have: their own personal gyms--down the hall). The new bike isn't like the run-of-the-mill stationary bikes we're used to, though. The Expresso (no, it doesn't brew coffee for you--rats!) is more like virtual reality riding with its LCD screen and pivoting handle bars. The goal: to give you a great workout, engage your mind (and trick it into thinking you're cycling along a nature trail or maybe in the Tour de France or something) and make fitness more fun.

Kissing: Good or Bad for Your Health (the Answer May Surprise You)

With Valentine's Day on the horizon, maybe you're planning some kind of romantic rendezvous for you and your sweetheart. If kissing is on the agenda (how dorky does that sound? This is why Joanna writes about love, not me!), read up on kissing and your health. Good or bad for you? Take a guess...

NYC Celebrity dentist, Dr. Jeff Golub-Evans, Dr. Emanuel Layliev of the New York Center for Cosmetic Dentistry, and Dr. Mickey Bernstein, President of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, have some mixed reviews on kissing (speaking of oral health, read about my teeth-whitening experience from hell):