Swinging in L.A., the antigravity way

The word "antigravity" is usually followed by "machine" or "death ray," not "yoga." But Crunch, the Los Angeles gym that showed us that exercising on a stripper pole is a good thing, has a new class titled "AntiGravity Yoga" that Sir Isaac surely would have loved.

The class combines yoga, Pilates, some aerial work, stretching, strength training and core exercises, but the main attraction is that students move while hanging in white fabric hammocks suspended from the ceiling. That makes it not only fun but good for you, says fitness instructor Saharah Ali.

"The class allows you to have fun and see that exercise isn’t a pain or a chore," says Ali. "In the beginning, some people say, 'I don’t know,' but as soon as they start to swing or do their first flip, they’re hooked."

Traditional yoga moves, such as headstands and handstands, take on another dimension when done while suspended from the ceiling. "It’s more supportive to the spine," says Ali, and might be easier for those who find it difficult getting into and maintaining those positions.

A few caveats: Ali says the class isn’t recommended for pregnant women or those with glaucoma. Or anyone who's had recent Botox treatments. We’re not going to even touch that.

The workout was originally developed by Christopher Harrison of AntiGravity, a New York City-based aerial performance group that inspired the class. Harrison worked with Jess Gronholm, Crunch’s yoga director out of NYC, to create the class.

The best thing about AntiGravity Yoga is that it’s free at Crunch—for one day, at least. On July 12, three 45-minute sessions starting at 1 p.m. will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis (sign-up sheets will be available the day of the classes). Just make sure to book your Botox appointment afterward.

-- Jeannine Stein

Office betting pools, baby-faced CEOs and bikinis

They've nothing to do with one another (nothing printable here, anyway) -- except they've all been the topics of recent consumer-based research. In this very focused type of analysis, otherwise ordinary reactions are analyzed and the data crunched for future use. Lest you doubt how predictable we are and how easily we can be manipulated, check out these findings in the June issue of the Journal of Consumer Research:

• Baby-faced CEOs of scandal-plagued companies may have an edge in the public perception department. When shown accounts of fake corporate misdeeds, study participants assumed that those executives with large eyes, small noses and small chins to be more honest, say researchers at Hong Kong University and Columbia University. Those executives with more mature faces didn't  have quite the same benefit of the doubt. But this bias held true only for minor crises. When the fake scandal involved competency, that baby-faced image presented more of a problem.  Then, maturity had an edge. So Mr. and Ms. Executive Board Member, looking ahead to potential future scandals, you might want to give that some thought. Here's a ReutersLife take and the actual abstract to the study.

• Office pools aren't as much fun as you might think. Betting on a game or contest actually makes the proceedings less enjoyable, say researchers at Arizona State University, at least according to studies in which participants were asked to bet on game shows and marble games. Turns out, no one likes to be wrong. And just the fact that participants could be wrong, even if they turned out to be right in the end, was stressful. "Anticipated regret" is the term the researchers use. I know it well. Again, a ReutersLife version and the abstract.

• And, finally, touching bras, looking at photos of beautiful women or watching videos of bikini-clad women can instill a sense of urgency in some men (some straight men to be exact) -- but not necessarily for sex. Researchers in Belgium found that the stimuli made some men focus on the now instead of the future. That's not to say the response had nothing to do with sex, just that sexual appetites fuel the desire for immediate gratification of some sort, be it for money or candy. Not all men went for the immediate rewards -- just the more impatient ones. Here's the abstract (you have to buy a subscription to the journal for the whole enchilada).

They study this kind of stuff every month. What a gig.

-- Tami Dennis

Die-hard sports fans see death in a different light

Fans who bleed Dodger blue can now be interred Dodger-style. The first company to use licensed-image caskets and urns reports that about 50 Dodger urns have been sold since the company began producing sports funeral products last year. Dodger urns, however, are not as popular as Yankee urns.

The company, Eternal Image, claims its products are helping Americans to view death as a celebration honoring the personality and life of the deceased. The company sells several urns and caskets that feature licensed art or logos from Major League Baseball, the Vatican Library Collection, Precious Moments and Star Trek. According to a spokesperson, Eternal Image won "Best of Show" at last year's National Funeral Directors Assn. Expo. The company will unveil new products this fall.

Americans are notoriously reticent to discuss death, but trends like branded caskets might help us confront death and think about how we want to be remembered, says Dr. Terry Eagan, a psychiatrist and expert on death and dying who is medical director of Moonview Sanctuary, a treatment and optimal performance center in Santa Monica.

"Hearing about these interesting and unusual products gives people cause to pause and think about their own death on many levels. And I think that is a great thing," Eagan says. The more people are able to speak openly with each other about death, "the more comfortable people can become, and they more they be able to focus on the incredible beauty of a life well-lived and not just on the pain and sadness of the loss."

- Shari Roan

Photo: Courtesy of Eternal Image

Plan to vote? Thank your lucky DNA

 

Whether you choose to vote in November may be determined more by genetic factors than upbringing or education, suggests a new study on political participation.

Researchers at UC San Diego and USC applied a mathematical model to the voting patterns of 396 identical and fraternal (non-identical) twins in Los Angeles County and 806 identical and fraternal twins in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

If voting behavior is inherited, the researchers hypothesized, the identical twins, which were conceived from a single egg, should exhibit more similarity in voting than the fraternal twins, which share about 50% of their genetic coding. If one assumes that both types of twins were raised in comparable environments, a notion that a body of research supports, then it is possible to arrive at numerical values representing the effects of genetics, shared environmental factors, such as living in the same home, and other, unshared environmental factors, such as having different friends.

Based on their model, the researchers determined that 53% of a person’s propensity to vote could be accounted for by genetic factors, 35% could be attributed to environmental factors shared by both twins and 12% could be chalked up to environmental factors not shared by the twins.

Moreover, they found that genetics also appear to influence other political activities, such as donating to a campaign, running for office and attending a rally.

"We expected to find that genes played some role in political behavior," says author and political scientist James Fowler of UC San Diego in a news release, "but we were quite surprised by the size of the effect and how widely it applies to all kinds of participation."

The study appears in the May issue of American Political Science Review.

--Janet Cromley

Photo: Al Seib/Los Angeles Times

Suicide's impact -- in animated reality

Real voices, real stories. On lifelinegallery.org, Americans who have lost a loved one to suicide share their heartbreak. And those who have considered suicide -- or survived an attempt -- share their transformations.

The site, launched this week by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, features speaking avatars -- animated images created by users who choose their on-screen self's age, hair color, clothing and accessories. The voices are recorded by telephone. Visitors can create avators for one of three categories: Loss (people who have lost a loved one), Turning Points (those who have considered suicide) or Helpers (those involved in suicide prevention).

The site, which aims to raise awareness about suicide's impact and to offer help and support to people who need it, asks that visitors who create avatars omit last names, money requests, links to for-profit organizations and, most important, descriptions of the actual suicide or attempt. The focus is on prevention, and the site seems determined not to romanticize one of society's grimmer realities.

The stories of Loss are wrenching. A woman devastated by her husband's death; a mother bereft almost beyond words at the death of her child; men and women who have lost a parent, sibling, friend... Anyone wondering whether their absence would be felt should listen to these stories. There's no doubt.

Too few stories, at least for now, are featured in the category for those who survived. I think we all  need to hear from more people who managed to find, and hold onto, perspective.

The site could well be helpful for the fragile among us, but so too is the number for the 24-hour hot line: (800) 273-TALK.  If you think you may need it, go ahead and write it down. Keep it with you.

-- Tami Dennis

Blood pressure high? Ask your druggist to help

You can lower high blood pressure by losing weight, exercising, cutting down on salt, eating better or, if those lifestyle methods fail, taking drugs. But do we do it? Nooo.

High blood pressure was the second heart disease risk factor, after smoking, identified by the Framingham Heart Study. A host of medications on the market can lower it. It is the most common, reversible cardiovascular disease risk factor in the world, projected to affect 1.5 billion people around the globe by 2025.

The key word is "reversible." High blood pressure, also called hypertension, can come down, and lowering blood pressure substantially reduces the risk of heart attack or stroke. Hypertension is defined as 140/90 or higher, and for each drop of 10 in the top number, or systolic pressure, the average risk of heart attack and stroke goes down 30% and 40%, respectively.

"Only about one-third of patients with hypertension in the United States have their BP lowered to target goals," writes Dr. Daniel W. Jones and Dr. Eric D. Peterson in an editorial in today's Journal of the American Medical Assn.

It has frustrated doctors for decades. They have the tools to help lower risk, but have been unable to figure out how to make patients use the tools. Patients fall off diets, stop exercising and often don't take their prescriptions every day. Or they don't return to the doctor often enough to see if the medications are doing the trick, or if the doctor needs to tinker with a dose, or try a new drug.

A study in the same issue of JAMA finds that a pharmacist can help bring down high-risk numbers. Researchers from Group Health Center for Health Studies recruited 778 patients, all members of the Seattle-based HMO, who had uncontrolled hypertension. The patients also had Internet access. A third of them received the usual care, which was instruction from their doctors and educational pamphlets. Another third of the volunteers received usual care plus a home-monitoring blood pressure cuff and training in how to get information from a website.

The final third received all of that, plus personal monitoring via emails at least every two weeks from a pharmacist trained in blood pressure control. The pharmacist, also in contact with the patient's physician, reminded them to send in blood pressure readings, encouraged them to make lifestyle changes, and altered medications and doses if blood pressure wasn't coming down.

About one-third of patients in the first two groups were able to lower their blood pressure. But with the help of a pharmacist, 56% of patients in the third group got their blood pressure under control.

It could be that nagging helps. Those relentless messages in patients' inboxes from the druggist prodded people to remember to take their medications, or do their exercises.

--Susan Brink

Photo: Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times

Diabetes begins at home

Disadvantaged children are more likely than their better-heeled peers to develop diabetes in adulthood, according to a study by researchers at Portland State University School of Community Health in Oregon. This holds true even for those children who later rose from poverty into a higher socioeconomic bracket, according to the report.

The data were drawn from questionnaires administered to 5,913 adults participating in the Alameda County Study, a long-term, population-based investigation that started in 1965 and ran through 1999. Among the participants, 307 developed diabetes during that period, and of those, 65% had grown up in poor households. Those who were overweight were also more likely to have developed diabetes.

"Type 2 diabetes can take 10 to 15 years to develop to the point where the individual is aware of signs and symptoms and seeks clinical care," says lead author Siobhan Maty in a news release. The size and duration of the study, "gives us enough cases to ensure statistically meaningful results," she adds.

The study appears in the August issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

--Janet Cromley

Twins weigh in at record size

Photo: Courtesy of Forsyth Medical Center

Talk about carrying a load! A North Carolina woman gave birth yesterday to twins who weighed a combined 23 pounds, 1 ounce. That happens to be a record for the state of North Carolina in twin poundage and is second nationally only to a 1924 twin birth in Arkansas that totaled 27 pounds, 12 ounces.

The girl, Abigail Rose Maynard, weighed in at 12 pounds, 3 ounces, and her brother, Sean William Maynard, weighed 10 pounds, 14 ounces. They are both in fine condition, according to officials at Forsyth Medical Center, where the babies were delivered.

What I really want to know is: How is the mother? No information was given on how much weight she gained during the pregnancy. But according to her obstetrician, she stayed "on a healthy diet."

- Shari Roan

Frosted Mini-Wheats ad gets frosty review *

An ad for Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats didn't wow the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, which is part of the advertising industry's self-regulation program.

In the ad, a teacher says, "Where were we?" and a smarty-pants kid replies "We were on the third paragraph of page 57 and you were explaining that the stone structures made by ancient Romans were called aqueducts and as you were writing that up on the board, your chalk broke ... into three pieces." After a little cartoon Mini-Wheat expresses his pride, a voice-over describes a clinical study in which "kids who had a filling breakfast of Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal improved their attentiveness by nearly 20%." The ad division's problem with the ad: That voice didn't explain that the kids the Mini-Wheat group were compared with were kids who got no breakfast at all. (This was, however, explained in text that appeared with the ad at the same time.) In other words, there's no evidence that Mini-Wheats would be any better than Lucky Charms or a chunk of dry bread or a big bag of potato chips or a Big Mac, and that wasn't expressed straightly enough for the ad division's liking.

The National Advertising Division, according to its news release, also noted that "the commercial does not make clear how much time elapsed between the start of the lesson referenced by the teacher and the student's detailed recollection of the lesson." The longer the lag, the ad division says, "the stronger the performance claims and the uniqueness benefit attributed to the product." It recommends the ad be adjusted to make clear that the event the kid remembered had just happened (!).

The Kellogg Co. "accepts NAD's decision and will take it into future advertising relating to this issue," according to the same ad division release.

For the nutritional content of various cereals as compiled by the consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest, go here. (But note: the numbers are from 2006 .) 

*And here's another website with cereal information.

--Rosie Mestel

Livestrong and ride for a good cause

Looking for a fitness challenge this summer that does some good for more than your health?

Ride with a group of cyclists who are traversing the U.S. raising money for Livestrong, the Lance Armstrong Foundation that supports cancer research and education. Livestrong Across America kicks off July 1 in San Diego, as six cyclists begin their 33-day, 3,300-mile ride to Washington D.C. Armstrong won’t be on a bike, but a group of friends from Beaumont, Texas, are happy to have anyone come along for part or all of the journey. (People who wear those yellow Livestrong bracelets, we’re looking in your direction).

You’ll have to pony up some dough (amounts vary depending on how long you want to share the road), but of course it goes to the charity. And don’t worry if you’re not in elite shape — one of the riders, Richard James III, assured us that slower cyclists won’t get left in the dust.

"You can be in any kind of shape," says James, who has a line of edu-tainment products. "The only reason for us to go faster is that we want to meet our commitments to visit places like oncology centers and make sure we’re there on time. But people can always continue and finish, and we’ll be there when they arrive." Go to the organization’s website and you’ll notice in the riders’ bios that not only are they in fantastic shape (some raced in the U.S. Cycling Federation), but all have a direct connection to someone with cancer — not that unusual, says James: "You don’t have to think very hard to think of someone you know who is battling cancer."

The group (shown left to right: Joe Haeggquist, Charlie Dixon, Tom Simon, Britt Gober, Eric Laing and James) will take no rest days. That’s probably why James’ training has consisted of 80 to 100 miles a day, since they’ll be averaging 100 miles a day on the tour. Their goal is to raise $100,000 to $300,000. Of the inaugural trip, James says, "We don’t know what to expect, we’re just out there to raise as much awareness and as many funds as possible." The team will post updates on the website’s blog during the tour as well, so stay tuned.

-Jeannine Stein

Want the 'best doctor'? We can help, not list

If only the L.A. Times Health section would compile a list of the area's best doctors. Think of the reader convenience ... not to mention a fundamentally flawed judging process and inherent conflicts of interest.

Among the thousands of doctors in Los Angeles County, we simply couldn't be sufficiently familiar with all of them to decide who should be on the list -- and who shouldn't. Too many factors go into being "the best."

We could list those physicians we knew to have a good clinical reputation, to be experts in their particular specialty. But we'd be certain to miss many, many others. And even the most knowledgeable might not be willing, or able, to provide the kind of communication you or your condition need. One doctor may have more experience than a younger colleague but be too busy to listen to your particular concerns. Another physician may keep up with the cutting-edge treatments but not have the skill or wisdom to make them useful to you.

We could list those doctors we've seen personally, or interviewed professionally, but that opens up a wealth of potential and real conflicts of interest (on both our part and the physician's part) that I don't need to belabor. Suffice to say that readers deserve better than a doctor hoping for a mention on a "best doctor" list or a journalist who has gotten special treatment from said doctor.

We could ask readers to send us their preferences, but higher-volume docs and those more likely to push their patients toward such feedback could easily stack the deck.

We could use a research firm, as do many publications, including New York magazine. But let's take a look at how that list is compiled:

For starters, it's winnowed from a longer one. That longer list is based on a peer-review survey. That survey is based on those forms returned by medical professionals in the region. Those professionals include some randomly selected doctors (not all doctors), doctors from the previous guidebook (keep reading for those pitfalls) and the top officials at local hospitals (of course, they wouldn't be predisposed to vote for their own). The published list is further adjusted in various ways. Here's a rather thorough explainer.

Here's how a physician, writing for Slate, described that list a couple years back: "It's high school all over again, a life lived at the mercy of cruel arbiters of who is up and who is down."

He goes on to say: "Of course, the list isn't really about accuracy or quality. It's about sales -- not only of doctors' services but also of fancy plaques, directories, and pen-and-pencil sets fitted into paper weights."

Some of the most knowledgeable -- and caring -- doctors I've seen would never make a "best of" list, largely because their priorities are their patients, not publicity.

So instead, we prefer to tell you how to find the best physician for your particular needs. Check out Susan Brink's story How to find the best medical care in this week's Health section or the Ask Us question (a very good one) that prompted this post, Diagnosed with cancer? Here's how to find a doctor in your neighborhood.

Doing your own research isn't as easy as calling a number in a directory, but you'll be much likelier to get the "best" for you.

-- Tami Dennis

Illustration: Melinda Beck / For The Times

'Pro-life' drugstores and more -- Editor's Picks

Drugstores that refuse to sell contraceptives; a West Nile expert who contracts the disease; an explainer on why American kids are fat; and exactly why flip-flops are bad for you -- all in this week's Editor's Picks.

From the Washington Post: Pro-life drugstores market beliefs

"When DMC Pharmacy opens this summer on Route 50 in Chantilly, the shelves will be stocked with allergy remedies, pain relievers, antiseptic ointments and almost everything else sold in any drugstore. But anyone who wants condoms, birth control pills or the Plan B emergency contraceptive will be turned away. That's because the drugstore, located in a typical shopping plaza featuring a Ruby Tuesday, a Papa John's and a Kmart, will be a 'pro-life pharmacy' -- meaning, among other things, that it will eschew all contraceptives."

From CNN: CDC expert gets West Nile bug -- literally

"All Lyle Petersen wanted to do was get his mail. In the time it took him to walk down his driveway in Fort Collins, Colorado, chat briefly with a neighbor and return to his house, Peterson got infected with a potentially serious mosquito-borne illness called West Nile virus. Within hours of being bitten, he said, he began to feel symptoms he recognized. And how was he sure so quickly? Petersen, as director of the division of vector-borne diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is one of the foremost experts in the world on the condition."

From Time: How America's children packed on the pounds

"Americans disagree about a lot of things, but we rarely quarrel when it comes to our food. For a nation built on grand democratic virtues, there is still nothing that defines us quite like our love of chow time."

And from NPR: How to keep your feet happy

"If you've ever had heel pain when you first put your bare feet on the floor after waking up in the morning, it's very likely the beginnings of a common condition known as plantar fasciitis. And shoes can contribute to the problem.

-- Tami Dennis

Testosterone is your friend

Men with low levels of testosterone appear to have a shorter lifespan than men with normal levels, according to investigators at Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald, in Germany. This adds to a growing body of research in this area.

In a study of 2,000 men ages 20 to 79, lead author Robin Haring and co-workers found that men with low testosterone were 2.5 times more likely to die over a 10-year period than those with higher testosterone.

At the beginning of the study, 5% of the men had low testosterone levels. These men tended to be more obese and were more likely to be diabetic or to have high blood pressure than the rest of the group. The researchers controlled for age, smoking, alcohol intake, level of physical activity and waist size.

"It’s very possible that lifestyle determines levels of testosterone," said Haring in a news release.

The results were presented at the Endocrine Society’s 90th annual meeting, held in San Francisco from June 15 to 18.

--Janet Cromley

In search of the best -- why we wrote the story

Few people bat an eye when high-profile leaders such as Sen. Edward Kennedy travel far from home to seek medical care for a life-threatening condition. He has access, name recognition, resources -- of course he'd be able to identify, and get, the best possible treatment for his brain tumor.

The Health section could have done a story on the doctors involved or on Kennedy's condition. Either would have been relevant to some people and simply interesting to others. But what is most relevant to the most readers is how they too can get the best care possible. That's why we wrote this week's story, Patients go on a quest for the best medical care.

Not only can average Americans get such care for unusual or high-risk conditions, they routinely do so. First they have to gather information about their condition, compile treatment data, identify the  practitioners or institution that might be able to help, set up various consultations and then convince the insurers involved. None of this is easy.

That's not to say everyone should go off in search of experimental treatment and decide they want a specific therapy regardless of whether it's appropriate. Doctors play a crucial role. And, often, traditional care is most appropriate.

But at the end of the day, it's the patient's health, the patient's life, at stake. Tales of those who fought for what they thought was best -- and prevailed -- are legion.

So at those times when you're on your own, it's good to know you have the resources and the ability to take charge, to find out what's right for you and to push for it. We tell you how.

-- Tami Dennis

Photo: Josh Reynolds / Associated Press

The Jared of McDonald's?

Move over Jared! According to an AP story, a Virginia man has lost 80 pounds eating only at McDonald's -- eschewing the fries and Big Macs and turning instead to the salads, wraps and apples with caramel dip -- except he didn't eat the dip. The 5-foot-8-inch man is down to 199 pounds.

The article doesn't say whether McDonald's had anything to do with his project -- he says he chose the eatery because it was convenient -- but you can imagine the company might now exhibit some interest in the chap. 

I could see one way this diet could work -- like many, it's restrictive, and the human body seems to crave variety. Studies by Barbara Rolls of Pennsylvania State University, for example, have found that people offered sandwiches with four different fillings ate one-third more than when one type alone was offered, and that "study subjects ... ate significantly more when three flavors of yogurt (hazelnut, blackcurrant, orange) which were distinctive in taste, texture and color were offered than when offered just one of the flavors." Even different-colored and different-shaped pastas will increase our appetite. This craving for variety is presumably a reason why we are able to eat astounding quantities of food at buffets.

Restrict your diet, on the other hand, and foods just begin to feel ... blah. (I personally believe that the rule would not hold for lime-flavored potato chips, but to my knowledge this has not been tested in a lab setting.)

None of this explains, however, how that Virginia man was able to stick to his regimen -- which is, of course, the problem with every diet under the sun.

--Rosie Mestel

Photo: J.B. Reed / Bloomberg News

Moving in the heat (with urine and hair tips)

Yeah, yeah, it's hot enough for me. It's hot enough for you. It's hot enough for us all. But some people feel compelled to keep exercising nonetheless.

So if anyone needs to be told to avoid running or other aerobic activity outdoors in the hottest part of the day and to stay well-hydrated, we're here for you. Avoid running or other aerobic activity in the hottest part of the day and stay well-hydrated.

For more such basics, go to the Mayo Clinic, which -- perhaps more important -- includes links to first-aid basics for heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Then check out this listen-to-your-body advice from U.S. News & World Report. It's both practical and relevant to exercisers who don't want to stay indoors. And, adds writer Katherine Hobson, the good news is that over time you'll get used to the heat. 

To learn how to use urine as a diagnostic tool in assessing your body's ability to cope with heat and exercise, go to the Body Shop  at revolutionhealth. Blogger Carol Torgan also includes a link to a recipe for making your own re-hydration drink. It's a cool concept, but I think that funky lemon-lime flavor is gonna be hard to beat.

And, as a bonus, here's what totalhair says about exercising outdoors if you have long hair. Roll your eyes if you must, but this is useful. I would point out that it's pegged to pop star Fergie's care for her tresses, but that would be pandering to the one or two celebrity-obsessed readers in the blogosphere.

-- Tami Dennis

Photo: Los Angeles Times

In the land of personal gene testing, who rules?

Last week, California health authorities cracked down on 13 companies that offer personal genetic testing to consumers, saying the labs must prove they meet the state's quality and reliability standards. The state wants to make sure labs offering direct-to-consumer testing are certified and meet quality assurance standards. They also want the labs to show that any testing being sold to Californians has been ordered by a doctor.

That is the crux of this controversy: Should a doctor's authorization be required for someone to obtain personal genetic testing? So far, California and New York state authorities say yes. But this debate is just beginning. The controversy is being played out this week on the many genetic medicine blogs. Daniel at Genetic Future writes:

"To a large extent what's going on here is a turf war between proponents of the old-school medical regulation model and upstart advocates of the free information paradigm of the Google generation."

Jason at TechCrunch suggests the lack of professional medical advice accompanying personal gene testing is troublesome, too:

"The problem with this kind of casual DNA testing is that it almost trivializes the importance of genetic information."

Indeed, what is the intent of personal gene testing? One company, DNA Direct, says it believes gene testing is a medical service and requires doctors to authorize tests. On the other side, some labs are promoting services that help people connect with distant, possibly famous, relatives and discover other, seemingly trivial, information. Example: Do you have a gene that makes you adventurous? Health experts are also becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the publicity surrounding the gene testing of the rich and famous. According to the geneticsandhealth blog, Larry King, cosmologist Stephen Hawking and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen are all having such tests done. Is personal genetic testing a toy for the rich or a practical medical service?

-- Shari Roan

Photo: Mathieu Young / CNN

Bright light for Alzheimer's

There are few medications to treat Alzheimer's disease, and none that reverse the disorder or come without troubling side effects. The most that the two types of FDA approved drugs for the disease can offer, for some people, is a moderate slowdown in the worsening of dementia symptoms. But the price many pay in side effects from the drugs can be high: vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, headache, confusion or dizziness.

An alternative to drug treatment might be to simply replace dim light bulbs with bright ones, and keep them on all day, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.

Dutch researchers studied 189 elderly patients in assisted care facilities for 3.5 years. Half the group were exposed daily, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., to bright, fluorescent light, while the other half were exposed to dim lighting all day. Within each group, half were also given 2.5 mg of melatonin, a hormone that influences the sleep-wake cycle and is available in health food stores and drugstores without a prescription.

Melatonin alone helped people sleep, but increased daytime agitation and depression. But bright daytime light eliminated those consequences of melatonin. The combination of bright light and melatonin helped people sleep better, and when they woke, they were less likely to be depressed and agitated. After 3.5 years, bright daytime light reduced cognitive decline by 5%.

Those results in slowing the decline of Alzheimer's patients are similar to the modest results seen from prescription drugs. "The size of this effect is pretty close to the size of the effects of drugs currently marketed for the treatment of dementia," says Dr. Peter Roy-Byrne, professor of psychiatry at the University of Washington. Roy-Byrne did not participate in the study, but commented on it for the Web journal, JournalWatch.

So far, nothing has been found to cure Alzheimer's. But this simple, environmental approach may slow down the disease, and in the process give caretakers a bit of a breather.

--Susan Brink

Photo: Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press

Don't say "obese" -- or talk about health

All this talk about the health risks of obesity is apparently upsetting.

In a new study released this week by the Endocrine Society, obese people reported that, not only do they feel disheartened by the publicity about their condition, they also think that regarding them as "sick" is counterproductive.

They've tried to lose weight, as recommended endlessly by the media and by their doctors, but most to apparently little avail. The "culture of blame," the study says, doesn't help their efforts.

I'm guessing posts like this, from skinny girls who think they are fat, don't help much: "These blogs say that fat people should have a right to be fat. Have at it, but I have a right to think that you're lazy as a result and have a right to want to deny you health coverage because you are STATISTICALLY more of a risk to me than a healthy-sized person."

For moral support, and a healthy dose of righteous indignation, perhaps the frustrated and heavy should check out those aforementioned blogs, from the so-called fatosphere, written by folks who think those extra pounds are just fine.

From Shapely Prose, in the first of 10 principles explaining the author's take on fat and health: "Weight itself is not a health problem, except in the most extreme cases (i.e., being underweight or so fat you're immobilized."

And from Big Fat Blog, in commenting on coverage of NBC newscaster Tim Russert's recent death: "You know, when Tim Russert passed away this past week there was just a little tiny, tiny bit of me that hoped, 'Crap, I hope they don't pin it on his weight.' "

Similar takes can be found at fat fu, big fat deal and other sites in the fatosphere.

But those us-against-the-world takes don't negate the research in recent stories such as Women's belly fat, early death linked and Gastric bypass surgery cuts cancer risk, researchers say. Nor does it shoot down, though we could all wish it, the data offered by the CDC.

Of course, simply saying "lose weight" doesn't help people do so. But pretending that the weight isn't taking a toll seems deliberately naive. Guess we'll all just have to wait for the drug research to pay off.

-- Tami Dennis

Blood donation's bloody history

Bet you didn't know that--

--Americans who sold their blood used to be represented by a blood seller's union.

--The first donations involved stitching blood vessels of donor and recipient together so that blood could flow from one body to the other.

--Doctors used to use animal blood for transfusions--that of goats and other livestock. This presented problems: "It was hard to get an animal upstairs to a bedroom where a woman had just lost a lot of blood in childbirth," says Susan Lederer, chair of medical history and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin, according to a university release. And thus: Husbands were co-opted instead.

Lederer's new book, "Flesh and Blood: Organ Transplantation and Blood Transfusion in 20th Century America," goes into all this early history. It sounds intriguing: She covers the history of the anti-aging testicle-transplant fad and includes a tale of a man who placed an ad in the New York Times in 1903 offering $5,000 for a right ear to replace the one he'd lost.

Blood lust not satisfied? We can guarantee you will learn all you ever wanted at www.bloodbook.com, a website stuffed with facts about blood cells, blood documentaries, even lyrics to a song about blood called "Pump, Pump, Pumps Your Blood" that first appeared on Happy Days and later was used in an aspirin ad. You can listen to it here.

The authors of BloodBook.com seem a curious bunch -- they write of themselves, "We at BloodBook.com are divided into three teams: the Administrators, the Researchers, and the Techies. This arrangement is pretty conventional with one outstanding exception: the Researchers are single-minded and absolutely dedicated to increasing the public understanding of facts about Blood." That's Blood with a capital B -- every time. (All righty, then.)

--Rosie Mestel

Photo: Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times

Balding test? You can try this at home

Grandma told you that it was normal to lose 100 hairs a day. How did she know? Did she ever count them? Was that an average, or specific to you? Is it what you should expect at the age of 16 or 60?

No one knew. Until now, even dermatologists who specialize in hair loss took it as an unsubstantiated given that it's normal to lose 100 hairs a day, based on the wisdom of the ages and backed by a mathematical equation. The equation assumes that the average head has 100,000 hairs, 10% of which are in the telogen, or resting, phase. That means they're no longer growing, they're getting ready to give it up, but they're going to take about 100 days before they bail out and hit the shower floor, curl up in the sink drain or entwine themselves around the bristles of your brush. So 10% of 100,000 is 10,000. Divide that by 100 days and you get a daily loss of 100 hairs a day.

Not to split hairs, but the neatly figured math was based on...well, nothing. No one ever proved that we have an average of 100,000 hairs. "This number has been passed down without anyone ever questioning it," says Dr. Jeffrey Miller, professor of dermatology at Penn State College of Medicine.

So instead of counting hairs, or assuming a number that's normal, Miller and colleagues came up with a quick and reliable way to figure out if you're balding. In a study published in this month's Archives of Dermatology, researchers studied hair loss in 60 men, half age 20 to 40 and half age 40 to 60, all of whom had healthy heads of hair and no signs of going bald.

They were all given identical combs and told to shampoo every day for three days. On the fourth day, before shampooing, they each combed their hair forward over a pillow case for 60 seconds. Then they counted the hairs on the pillow case.

The average number was almost identical for both age groups: 10.2 hairs on the pillow case for the younger group, 10.3 hairs for the older group. And when the same men repeated the drill six months later, the counts remained the same, indicating they were in no immediate danger of balding.

"It doesn't matter what kind of comb or brush you use as long as you use the same one," says Miller. "And make sure it's clean when you start." The range of hair loss in the study was 0 to 78 hairs among the younger men, and 0 to 48 among the older men, though most lost about 10 hairs in the 60 seconds of combing.

The number of hairs on your pillow matters less than that the number remains consistent. Do it three days a month, and track it for six months. "It's a simple, objective home test for a condition that's fraught with emotion," says Miller.

If the number of hairs shed remain consistent with each 60-second comb-out, you're probably not over-shedding. But if there's an increase, you might consult a dermatologist for an evaluation. Hair loss can result from low thyroid output, from low levels of iron or from some medications.

The study was funded by Merck & Co., which makes Propecia, a drug to treat hair loss. And Miller is a consultant for Pfizer Inc., which makes Rogaine and is testing other drugs for hair loss. But neither company influenced the study, he says.

Miller is currently working on a similar study of women's hair loss.

--Susan Brink

Photo: Chris Jackson / Getty Images

Breakfast of champions--and thin people

Does your breakfast consist of a turkey sandwich? Maybe it should. Eating a substantial breakfast high in carbohydrates and protein may help people curb their appetites and cravings later in the day, allowing them to drop pounds and keep them off.

That's the conclusion of a recent study that compared small-breakfast eaters with big-breakfast eaters. Researchers assigned two different diets to 94 obese, inactive women. Both diets were low in fat and total calories, but differed in how carbs and calories were allocated.

In the low-carbohydrate, small-breakfast diet, 46 women consumed 17 grams of carbs, 51 grams of protein, 78 grams of fat and 1,085 calories a day. Breakfast was the smallest meal at 290 calories and only 7 grams of carbs and 12 grams of protein.

In the modified low-carb, big-breakfast diet, the other study subjects ate 97 grams of carbs, 93 grams of protein, 46 grams of fat and 1,240 calories a day. Breakfast was a whopping 610 calories, with 58 grams of carbs and 47 grams of protein.

Weight loss was the focus of the first half of the eight-month study, and the second half concentrated on weight maintenance. After four months, both groups had lost about the same amount of weight on average — 28 pounds for the small-breakfast group, and 23 pounds for the big-breakfast group.

But after eight months, there was a stunning difference between the two: the small-breakfast eaters had regained 18 pounds, and the big-breakfast eaters went down an additional 16.5 pounds. Women in the big-breakfast group also reported feeling less hungry and subject to fewer cravings than their small-breakfast-eating counterparts.

"Most diets are just restrictive and don't take into consideration carb cravings," says endocrinologist Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz, a clinical professor of medicine at the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. She was the lead author of the study, presented recently at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, being held this week in San Francisco. "If you restrict them, you end up craving them more, and then you suddenly abandon the diet."

Those cravings can be especially bad in the afternoon and evenings, when snacking on candy, cookies and other unhealthful, carb-rich foods can do a diet in. Jakubowicz says that time of day also coincides with lower serotonin levels (serotonin is a neurotransmitter concerned with mood and pain perception that's stimulated when carbs are eaten).

But eating higher levels of carbs and protein in the morning can help stave off hunger and carb cravings later, she adds. "Most obese people aren't happy eating breakfast in the morning. But when you eat a very small quantity in the morning, the brain activates the emergency system, and it perceives it will never eat again and prepares for starvation." That can trigger overindulging in fattening foods. Jakubowicz points out that the big-breakfast plan also allows for a few indulgences, such as candy and cookies -- as long as they're in the morning.

Cold pizza and a chocolate truffle, anyone?

-Jeannine Stein

Drinking up the latest on coffee*

Drinking buckets of coffee a day — up to six cups — may reduce your risk of death from heart disease, if ever so slightly, according to a new report published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Or not.

Analyzing data culled from 84,214 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study from 1980 to 2004 and 41,736 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study from 1986 to 2004, researchers found that:

• Women who consumed two to three cups of caffeinated coffee a day had a 25% lower risk of death from heart disease.
• Women who consumed two to three cups of caffeinated coffee a day had an 18% lower risk of death caused by something other than heart disease or cancer.
• Men who consumed two to three cups of caffeinated coffee a day had no change in risk.
• There was no association between coffee and cancer deaths.

Interestingly, people who drank decaffeinated coffee had death rates similar to those who drank caffeinated coffee. This suggests that there may be some other factor at work — something unrelated to coffee that coffee drinkers share. [*Note, readers rightly pointed out that other constituents in the coffee could be responsible for the results.]

Among the women in the study:

• 2,368 died of heart disease
• 5,011 of cancer
• 3,716 of another cause

Among the men:

• 2,049 died of heart disease
• 2,491 of cancer
• 2,348 of another cause.

--Janet Cromley

Bartenders are overly generous, study shows

The standard size for alcoholic drinks is 5 ounces for wine, 12 ounces for beer and 1.5 ounces for spirits. Using those formulas, consumers should be able to monitor their alcoholic intake, right? Fat chance.

A new study shows that alcoholic drinks served in bars and restaurants are often larger than the standard size and contain more alcohol. The study, published online this week in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, examined 480 drinks poured in 80 establishments in 10 Northern California counties. The average glass of wine was 43% larger than standard, and the average mixed drink was 42% larger. The average draft beer was 22% larger. The authors, from the Alcohol Research Group at the Public Health Institute, also found that the alcohol content varied widely in drinks.  Those who think they have had four drinks may, in fact, have had six, they noted.

Nationwide, there is a big effort to take the mystery out of alcoholic drinks. Health groups have been battling the federal government over a proposal to label packaged alcohol products with information on nutrition and alcohol content, similar to the labels that are affixed to packaged foods. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has proposed a rule that would require "Serving Facts" on the labels of wine, beer and distilled spirits but would leave out information about alcohol content. A coalition of 30 health groups opposes the rule, saying that alcohol content per standard serving should also be included on labels.

"Today, even the most basic information about alcohol beverages is not provided on the labels of most alcohol beverage products," said Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League, in a recent statement.

For a look at what constitutes "standard" in alcoholic drinks, click here.

- Shari Roan

Sensa: Get a whiff of this diet

Sprinkling calorie-free flavorings on foods can help people feel full faster and lose weight, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in San Francisco. The research was performed by a neurologist who was intrigued by the fact that people who lose their sense of smell and taste from severe head injuries often gain weight rapidly.

Dr. Alan Hirsch, director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, created crystals he calls tastants to stimulate the sense of taste and enhance a food's flavor. In the study, the salt-free tastants were labeled as savory or sweet but produced such flavors as cheddar cheese, onion, horseradish, ranch dressing, cocoa, banana, strawberry, malt and other flavors. He asked 1,436 overweight or obese men to sprinkle the tastants on all their food for six months but not to otherwise alter their diet or exercise habits. At the end of six months, those who had stuck with the tastants lost an average of 30.5 pounds or about 15% of their body weight. A control group of 100 people who used non-flavored crystals that looked like tastants lost an average of 2 pounds over six months.

Hirsch thinks the flavorings work by improving the taste of bland but healthful foods, such as tofu and vegetables. But he also believes that powerful tastes and smells send messages to the brain that trigger satiety. The tastants made people feel full faster and therefore eat less.

"How can you feel full faster? That is what this study looked at," said Hirsch in a news conference this morning. "But this uses natural physiology. The more they liked the taste, the more they used it and the more weight they lost."

Hirsch is gearing up to sell his product, called Sensa. A one-month supply of flavorings cost $53. If the commercial product smells fishy to you, you can still test the smell-more-eat-less concept. Hirsch says to eat low-calorie foods with lots of seasonings, sniff your food before you eat it and then chew it a lot.

- Shari Roan

Medicated soldiers, your cancer risk and sleep

Check out these stories from around the Web -- this week's Editor's Picks:

From Time: America's medicated Army

"For the first time in history, a sizable and growing number of U.S. combat troops are taking daily doses of antidepressants to calm nerves strained by repeated and lengthy tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The medicines are intended not only to help troops keep their cool but also to enable the already strapped Army to preserve its most precious resource: soldiers on the front lines."

From Newsweek: Your lifestyle, your genes and cancer

"New research explores the complex interactions that cause our most dreaded disease. A look into some of the steps you can take to reduce risk."

And from Slate: Can a night owl become a morning person?

"One day, after crawling out of bed at 10:30, I decided enough was enough. I needed help. So, I called up a battery of doctors and sleep researchers and put the question to them: Can a night person rewire herself to fall asleep at a reasonable hour and jump out of bed in the morning like a farmer with chickens to feed? They all said it could be done."

-- Tami Dennis

What grandpa got for father's day

Kids forgot to get you a father's day gift? It could be worse. A friend tipped us off to an item on Andrew Sullivan's blog about the "10 Worst Products for Men Ever Created." 

Hair in an aerosol can, anyone? Or perhaps a chest hair toupee? Maybe save up the big bucks for a scary wire-and-colored-lightbulb contraption known as the "Prostate Warmer." (We won't even talk about some of the others.)

Of course, history is littered with -- and the pockets of many a trickster lined by -- questionable contraptions peddled to desperate people who want more hair, less hair, bigger breasts, smaller tummies and cures, cures, cures. (Not that this tradition has exactly died a death. We received an e-mail this week promoting "the eggplant cancer cure.")

To read more on this topic, we invite you to step right up to Bob McCoy's Museum of Quackery, where you can learn about such items as the foot-operated breast enlarger pump, the Battle Creek vibratory chair and the impressive-sounding  Electrovita water, "electrically endowed with essential mineral elements" -- "by ELECTROLYSIS" to "supply the digestive functions, blood, nerve cells, muscular tissue and organs with the energy they need and which is obtainable from no other source."

Wait. That sounds very much like a pitch someone sent me yesterday.

-- Rosie Mestel

Recumbent bikes -- why we wrote the story

They're quirky. There's a good chance they have bad backs. And if they haven't gotten in the way of your road-hogging, belly-fat-inducing car or SUV (are you still driving that thing?), they probably will. They're recumbent cyclists -- and they're here to show us the way. 

Recumbent proselytizer Jonathan Dietch took reporter Janet Cromley along for a spin recently on his tandem. (She learned that 1] recumbent biking is fun and 2] cleaning mud off a video camera is  difficult.) He and other enthusiasts say that unlike road bikes, recumbents stand out. That's true -- as has been the contention that the bikes are gonna take off among a mass audience. (Any time now. Really. The public is ready. Wait and see... ) That possibility is one of the reasons we wrote the story.

With baby boomers hitting middle age and aware of the price of inactivity -- as well as the price of gas, recumbent bikes are a less traditional, more attention-getting way of hitting the road in a healthy way. The machines are easier on the spine, hips, wrists, shoulders and neck than traditional bikes, but no less obsession-inducing for that.

Their owners can be just as gear-focused as their more upright brethren and, with fewer numbers, can even consider themselves more elite in a certain sense. And, if what's holding you back is the desire for bragging rights among your clique, note that though the bikes may look laid back, they can cost plenty. They only start at around $600. The status-conscious (sorry, performance-conscious) can still plunk down thousands.

Speed? Not a problem either.

For a nice introduction to the joys of recumbent cycling, check out the Recumbent Blog. The blog closed recently -- the writer rider has moved on -- but it's still an excellent resource. And then there's RecumBum, which bills itself as "the musings of a recumbent bicycle bum."

So if you've been using the "I can't ride my bike because of my knees" excuse, give it up.

That's the Health section for you -- shooting down those I-can't-exercise-because explanations one feeble excuse at a time. (Our other reason for doing the story.)

-- Tami Dennis

Photo: Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times

Your 99-cent pharmacy

I love 99-cent stores: Thanks to them, I have plastic, flower-shaped plates, potpourri made of 100% dyed wood shavings, and lurid yellow, intensely-lemon spray to clean stuff with. But I've not even begun to explore the health potential of these places, it seems.

Dr. Murray Grossan, a Los Angeles-based ear, nose and throat specialist, wrote to us to say he'd been nosing around a 99¢ Only Store and found all kinds of useful aids. "Instead of paying $75 for a tiny bottle of ear drops or $125 for a 10-day supply of antibiotics," he writes, "you can shop at the 99¢ Only Store and purchase budget-friendly medical items."

Some examples:

• For post-nasal drip afflicting 35 million Americans with its "thick, stagnant mucus," Grossan suggests forgetting about pricey pills and purchasing the 99¢ Only saline spray. And then:

"Toss out the contents -- it contains preservatives -- just like the $4 version. Pay 99 cents for a box of Kosher Salt (contains no silica or iodine) and mix your own saline solution: 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt stirred into four ounces of their 99¢ bottled water. Fill the spray container and spray 3 times a day. Since there are no preservatives, the solution needs to be made fresh weekly. In addition, be sure to drink huge amounts of hot tea with lemon and honey."

• For stuffy nose, he recommends the store's 99¢ spicy mustard, cut-rate cold and allergy pills and menthol-type inhalers.
• For coughing? He counted five different cough syrups at the store. And lozenges.
• For snoring -- get this -- you buy the 99¢ 1/2-inch medical tape and use it to tape up the tip of your nose before you go to sleep.
• Can't sleep? Get 50-mg Benadryl capsules, the doctor says. One should do the trick. "Benadryl has been used since 1945, and there have not been any problems reported to date, which is more than you can say for sleeping pills that cost $5 each." (I myself can testify that not once, after taking one for allergies, have I woken up to find that someone's been frying eggs in my kitchen all night.)

--Rosie Mestel

Photo: Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times

Dads are not small children

Sure, in honor of Father's Day, we could recommend that all the dads out there eat more vegetables and fewer burgers, that they have their blood pressure checked, that they take their medications, that they exercise more. And we could even put this well-worn message in the overly earnest, and easily ignored, do-it-for-your-family format.

But know what? Dads are adults. They don't need to be told what to do.

Let's check out dad blogs instead. There's ...

Cynical Dad, whose post "Hannah Montana is a gateway drug" recalls his decision to let his 5-year-old daughter, Zoey, watch Hannah Montana. He had no problems with the Vanity Fair spread understand, but from the TV show, his kid went to the pop star's YouTube videos, then "High School Musical" numbers and other Radio Disney songs. "And now," he says, "my daughter dances like a stripper."

Joeprah, a stay-at-home father who describes, in a serial post, his early years of daddom. "I thought the 'Bagel Club' would be a playgroup where parents could watch their children play with other kids all while socializing with other parental units. Wrong. I found that the 'Bagel Club' was a forum for women to engage in gossip, gripe about their husbands, and inevitably talk about their pregnancies."

And there's Freaked-Out Fathers, whose author writes in a recent post, "Well, I guess I should be writing about serious things like parenthood, behavior modification of male role modelling. But it's a holiday weekend and I just don't feel like it." That's the spirit! (And besides, this site is worth checking out for the cheese-rolling video alone.)

So break out the fishing-lure bedecked greeting cards! Bring on the golf-themed novelty gifts! Pay homage to the wisdom, forbearance and overall father-liness of fathers!  Then if you want to give, or receive, the earnest health message, check out this men's health quiz from the CDC. Really, it's the best you can do. No one likes a nag.

-- Tami Dennis

Photo: Carson Walker / Associated Press

Marijuana more potent than ever

Marijuana is more potent than at any time since scientific analysis of the drug began in the 1970s, according to a report from the University of Mississippi’s Potency Monitoring Project. The average amount of THC in marijuana, the primary psychoactive ingredient in the drug, was tested at 9.6% --more than double the potency of marijuana in 1983.

The highest concentration of THC found in a single sample was 37.2%.

Since 1975, the group, which is funded through the National Institute on Drug Abuse, has analyzed and compiled data on nearly 63,000 cannabis samples, mostly seized in drug arrests, in 48 states.

"The increases in marijuana potency are of concern since they increase the likelihood of acute toxicity, including mental impairment," Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, says in a news release. "Particularly worrisome is the possibility that the more potent THC might be more effective at triggering the changes in the brain that can lead to addiction; however, more research is needed to establish this link between higher THC potency and higher addiction risk."

--Janet Cromley

Photo: Robert Durrell / Los Angeles Times

Virginity pledges work for some youths

Making a pledge to remain a virgin until marriage is a popular part of some youth sex education programs. Several studies have cast doubt on their effectiveness. But new research from RAND Corp. says the idea appears to have some value.

Researchers surveyed 1,461 adolescents ages 12 to 17 in 2001 and reinterviewed them three years later. About one-quarter of the teens had made a virginity pledge when the study began. The researchers found that 42% of those who had not made virginity pledges compared with 34% who did became sexually active within the three years. Those who pledged were no more likely to engage in other non-intercourse sexual behavior. The study differed from others testing the power of virginity pledges because the researchers surveyed teens who were similar to one another in terms of religiosity, parenting and friendship characteristics. The results were published online this week in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Pledges won't work for everyone, psychologist and lead author Steven Martino said. Nor should they be considered a substitute for a comprehensive sex education program. But, he adds:

"Making a pledge to remain a virgin until married may provide extra motivation to adolescents who want to delay becoming sexually active. The act of pledging may create some social pressure or social support that helps them to follow through with their clearly stated public intention."

- Shari Roan

Photo: amandi - dulce (via Flickr, Creative Commons license)

"Sex and the City" shoe advice

Any podiatrist or orthopedic surgeon specializing in the foot will say this about women's 3- or 4-inch high heels: Don't wear them. Or if you wear them, don't walk.

But the recently released "Sex and the City" movie will no doubt trigger shoe lust in naive young women, and even in women who have been hurt before.

So for those who know that high heels can lead to blisters, callouses, corns, hammertoes, bunions and foot damage that can torment them for the rest of their lives, but who still can't resist the calf-enhancing, seductive effect of the high heel -- not to worry.

Eve Michaels, Beverly Hills image consultant, has advice on just how to wear Jimmy Choo stilettos when the call of the sexy shoe overwhelms all logic and reason. One such moment is immortalized by Carrie Bradshaw in the HBO series when she spots a pair of mile-high Manolos and dreamily croons, "Hello, Lover."

For those who should, and probably do, know better, here are Michaels' top five tips on wearing "Sex and the City" shoes -- with comments on each by the president-elect of the California Podiatric Medical Assn., Daniel Altchuler, Santa Monica podiatrist.

1. The ball of the woman's foot must line up with the ball of the shoe. In other words, the pattern of the shoe must match the shape of the woman's foot. That's good advice, says Altchuler. "That's where most people get in trouble with high heels," he says.

2. Buy pointy toe high heels a half size larger. Nonsense, says Altchuler. "They make the shoe like a regular shoe, then add more material for the pointy toe. You don't need a bigger size."

3. When standing in a pair of heels, the weight of the woman's feet must be on her heels, not thrust onto the balls of her feet. Otherwise agony, not pleasure from the delicious shoes, will be felt. "That'll never happen," says Altchuler. "Once a heel is more than an inch and a half, your foot jams forward."

4. The toes shouldn't be cramped into the shoe, and it should feel comfortable from the start. The right shoe should not need more than three wearings to feel great. Good advice on feeling comfortable immediately, but Altchuler wouldn't give it three wearings. It should feel good at the shoe store.

5. Realize that some high heels are made for walking and others are made for fine dining, partying or wearing in bed! A true diva knows the difference. Altchuler agrees that women can't do much more than try to keep their balance on very high heels. "They're for posing for pictures and sitting on bar stools," Altchuler says.

Altchuler has additional advice. When shopping for any shoes, buy them late in the day, because feet swell as the day goes on, and you'll get a more realistic fit. As for stilettos, they're pretty, not functional. "But I believe that everything in moderation is OK," he says. "If you're going to wear them to a wedding, take them off to dance."

--Susan Brink

Photo: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times

Can a good night's sleep save the Lakers?

Placing a bet on the Lakers, Dodgers or Angels? You'd better look at their schedule first. Professional athletes and sports fans understand the importance of home-field advantage, but new research funded by Major League Baseball suggests that circadian rhythm advantage may be important, too.

A study presented today at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies showed that baseball teams with the greater circadian advantage are more likely to win. The study assessed the effect on Major League Baseball teams of traveling across more than one time zone during the years 1997 to 2006. Teams with a one-hour or two-hour circadian advantage won 51.7% of the time. Teams with a three-hour advantage won 60.3% of the time.

For every time zone crossed, researchers say, players need one day to to get resynchronized. In the study, teams were assigned a number indicating how many days each team needed to resynchronize body clocks. One time zone difference without a day of rest equals one hour of disadvantage.

Circadian rhythm disorders are a hot topic in the health field. Time-keeping genes are scattered throughout the human body that synchronize physiological functions to the Earth's 24-hour rotation. Studies show humans have optimal times to eat, sleep, reproduce and perform mental or physical tasks. Messing with this cycle can cause such short-term effects as irritability, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, disorientation and gastrointestinal disturbances. In the long-term, constant disruption to the circadian rhythm is linked to heart disease, cancer and some mental illnesses.

The author of the study, Dr. Chris Winter, of the Martha Jefferson Hospital Sleep Medicine Center in Charlottesville, Va., says he will next look at how circadian advantage may add to the strength of the home-field advantage. Home-field advantage is probably more significant than circadian advantage. But, he says:

"It is important to realize that the home-field advantage, as it has been defined in the past, probably includes a fair amount of circadian advantage."

So what does that mean for tonight's lineup? The Celtics and Lakers should be tired, but at least the Lakers are playing in their own arena in front of friendly faces. The Angels should win. They're at home and rested. The Dodgers are rested but they're playing in San Diego. That's the same time zone, of course, but they're still playing in front of hostile fans and, oh, never mind. May the best teams win.

- Shari Roan

Photo: Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times

Ranking the rankest of fad diets

Grapefruit diet. The cabbage soup diet. The coffee diet.

In an effort that can only be characterized as part public service and part entrepreneurial enterprise, one website has positioned itself as a diet myth-buster site -- sort of a snopes.com for dieters. And the site even has a "Myth-O-Meter" index, ranking various diets, from worst to best.

"SkinnyMyths.com," says the company in an email, "tracks online buzz about fad diets using online news data," and combines that information with blogosphere data and a qualitative score of the diet's quality from a team of nutritional experts, to produce the Myth-O-Meter index. "For example," it continues, "the Red Bull Diet may force somebody to lose weight, and received buzz in one month, but it receives a [score of] one because it is very unhealthy to build a well-rounded nutrition program around it. Others like the Boiled Egg Diet receive eight out of 10 because of its more sensible ingredients."

For the record, these diets have been linked to various celebrities, but only on the rumor level.

This month’s winners, or loser