Meth, Manufactured Studies, Made-Up Ingredients: The Case Against Sports Supplements and Dietary Aids [Plus: Your Multi-Vitamin is a waste of money]

Oh I have SO done this!! But baggies are a pain. I discovered when my kids were infants that those little formula measuring plastic containers were perfect for holding the right serving of protein powder and they’re made for pouring into bottles!  Clandestine labs. Secret testing. Underground smuggling rings. But this crystalline powder wasn’t being …

Designer Poop: What’s the Deal With Prebiotics and Probiotics? [What they are, how to eat them and why you should]

Unicorns obviously have very healthy gut bacteria. Hospitals with their life, death, and strange-smell zeitgeist have been the setting for several major revelations in my life (not the least of which is that nutritionists consider Malt-o-Meal a “solid food” but Jell-O is a “liquid”) and this time it was no different. My 3rd son, just …

Dear Supplement Companies: Stop Trying to “Enhance” Me. [Plus: The New Dove Campaign – love it or hate it?]

Cannot even tell you how many times I’ve either given a baggie like this or gotten one. And it makes me giggle. Every. Time. (My fave was when Deb the Smoothie Girl sent me a whole package of baggies of different white powders! I can only imagine what FedEx thought. But I still love xantham …

B Vitamins: Energy Miracle or Wallet Drain? [Taking health advice from the Costco samples guy]

Cartoon says: (man) “Gosh, Honey, you seem to thrive on cooking, cleaning and dusting and I’m all tuckered out by closing time. What’s the answer?” (woman) “Vitamins, Darling! I always get my vitamins!” Charlotte says: Gee willikers, where can I get some amphetamines fortified with vitamins too?? Accosted at Costco. That’s either the best name …

Progesterone Cream Mega-Fail: The things I’ll try to cure my PMS [Help me?]

Now that’s a problematic bikini line! Repeat after me: I will not take medical advice from celebrities whose claim to fame is a Playboy spread. I’m not saying Jenny McCarthy isn’t funny, talented and gorgeous but the only medical tips I’m taking from her here on out are those regarding my bikini line. (Side note: …

Insomniac? 8 Herbs to Help You Snooze [Celestial Seasonings Giveaway!]

Pay no attention to the fact I’m posting this at 12:30 a.m. … Heartbreak is a toddler denied her treat. Hilarity is watching her try to get her contraband treat by gnawing through a cardboard box only to discover it filled with grassy powder. Wait, what, I’m not allowed to laugh? Eight hours of labor …

Can Your Energy Drink Kill You? [From Cola to Cracker Jacks, caffeine is everywhere – but just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s safe]

infographic from the hilarious Onion.com. Eighteen deaths may not sound like a lot, especially in a world where millions of energy drinks are sold and consumed each year, an $8.9 billion-dollar industry. But that’s still 18 people whose lives were possibly cut short thanks to, well, a short cut. And if the death toll isn’t …

I Took A Banned Drug And Didn’t Even Know It

From now on I’m sticking to sugar as my pre-race pep. Jelly beans are happy pills indeed. Bad news bodybuilders: dimethylamylamine (DMAA) may be responsible for the deaths of two soldiers, according to the U.S. Army. Eh, just another day and another story about a sports supplement gone wrong? Not for me. This story hit …

How Much Vitamin D Do You Need, Exactly? And How Do You Get It?

I think vitamin D is the least of this guy’s worries in the sun… At first I thought his nipples were stickers. If my life were perfect I’d live near the equator and get plenty of sunshine every day that my body would then naturally use to produce all the vitamin D it needs to …

Preventative Health Care: Is being “not sick” the same as being “healthy”?

YES IT WILL. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. Don’t disillusion me. Remember that kid in your class who ate dirt or licked the inside of the freezer or sucked down paste? Well it turns out that he may not have been one pinto bean shy of a bingo like we all thought. …