Wellness Tip: Owning a dog: Early care saves pain and cost | SouthCoastToday.com

Owning a dog: Early care saves pain and cost | SouthCoastToday.com: Dr. Tom Burns, owner of Veterinary Associates of Cape Cod in South Yarmouth. "Regular annual wellness exams are the best way to keep your pet healthy, thus preventing disease and illness before they become difficult — and costly — to treat."

"Burns reveals that the most common wellness issues for Labrador retrievers are muscle or joint disease, hip and elbow dysplasia, ear infections, allergies, dental disease, thyroid problems, glaucoma, certain kinds of cancer and obesity. Diet, weight and exercise are critical factors to maintaining a healthy Labrador retriever.

According to the American Kennel Club, the Labrador retriever has been the country's most popular canine breed for more than a decade. The agile sporting breed, known for its loyalty and friendly disposition, can live 12 years or longer.

'Maintaining a Lab's ideal weight and body condition will lower the chance of osteoarthritis by 200 percent and reduce the chance of expensive and painful knee surgery, which could cost as much as $2,000,' he says, noting that an added benefit of ideal body condition is that it will extend the average life expectancy of a Lab by two years.

Burns advises dog owners to 'strongly consider' pet insurance that covers expenses outside of normal wellness care."

Wellness Update: North America: Green gym: Exercise powers machines | Seattle Times Newspaper

Business & Technology | Green gym: Exercise powers machines | Seattle Times Newspaper: "The company revealed its Green System at an International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association show in March. Throughout the summer, engineers are working out the kinks in the technology. The system is expected to be on the market by the end of the year.

The equipment harnesses power from exercisers using ellipticals or cycles and turns it into usable power. That means, people work out on Green System equipment and the energy they create goes back to an inverter, a box about the size of a stereo receiver. The inverter converts the power into usable energy, sending it back into a power grid.

SportsArt Fitness claims the Green System can generate up to 2,000 watts of power in an hour. So in that hour, exercisers could create enough energy to run a ceiling fan for 30 hours, a laptop for 40 hours, or a VCR/DVD for 133 hours."

Wellness Tip: How to Prevent Skin Cancer

The Valley Advocate: Wellness - Wellness: Saving Your Skin: "Suntan lotion offers a very important and easy way of protecting yourself from the sun's harmful rays. However, not all sunscreens are healthy for you or for the environment. When selecting a safe sunscreen, look for a cream-based, non-oxybenzone, non-retinyl palmitate formula. Spray and powder sunscreens emit dangerous chemicals into the air. Studies have been done on the toxicity of oxybenzone in both humans and rats; although they haven't been conclusive, they've evoked some doubt about how healthy for the skin the chemical is in large doses.

Retinyl palmitate (chemical-speak for Vitamin A) in various lab tests has increased hormone secretion and the risk of increased development of tumors and lesions on the skin when applied topically. Also, don't be distracted by sunscreens marketing SPF at 65 and above. The magic in sunscreen is virtually all the same once you reach SPF 50; the higher you go after that, the more unhealthy chemicals there will typically be in the formula. Finally, you want to look for sunscreens marked 'broad-spectrum.' Those protect the skin from both UVB and UVA radiation, which are responsible for sunburns and other types of skin damage."

Wellness Update: Africa: Bid to put the brakes on disease in Africa - Business LIVE

Bid to put the brakes on disease in Africa - Business LIVE: "North Star and its partners will roll out a fleet of mobile clinics, known as wellness centres, to provide basic health services, along with HIV prevention, STI treatment, HIV counselling and testing, condom distribution and referrals to community health facilities when required.

'The project will have a multi-country approach aimed at providing border communities and mobile populations in resource-challenged areas with access to STI treatment and HIV prevention in order to put the brakes on the epidemic in the region,' says Paul Matthew, director for North Star Alliance Africa.

Doreen Sanje, technical adviser for SADC, says: 'We are very excited about launching this important initiative that will have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the entire southern African region. The selection of North Star Alliance was determined through a highly competitive process and we look forward to working with their team to deliver significant results.'"

Wellness in Oceania: Speech : Removal of Tobacco Displays and Tobacco Harm - Rahui Katene | Voxy.co.nz

Speech : Removal of Tobacco Displays and Tobacco Harm - Rahui Katene | Voxy.co.nz: "Future generations of New Zealand, our tamariki and our mokopuna, should be free from exposure to tobacco products.

As doctors we deal every day with the tragic human consequences of smoking related illness. We target our strongest objection, opposition and opprobrium at those who profit from the production, supply and sale of this addictive poison tobacco.

This is a very big move. Today, this House will pass into law a Bill which will remove tobacco retail displays, restrict tobacco trading names, and introduce tighter controls on sale to minors.

We know that relapse to smoking is influenced by the retail displays of tobacco products - the mere sight of tobacco on display becomes a temptation for smokers trying to quit.

During the select committee stage we were also told by the Centre for Tobacco Control Research that experimental smoking among youth is influenced by the retail display of tobacco products.

Basically the ease of access and availability of tobacco encourages initiation and maintenance of smoking.

It can be so simple. We have to denormalise smoking. We have to instil pride in ourselves that we can be smokefree. Because we know, we experience, we grieve from the reality that smoking kills."

Wellness in Europe: Discover the Ultimate Mind, Body, and Wellness Experience at The Ritz-Carlton, Denver Day Spa - MarketWatch

Discover the Ultimate Mind, Body, and Wellness Experience at The Ritz-Carlton, Denver Day Spa - MarketWatch: "Whether you're planning a romantic getaway for two, giving a meaningful gift to a loved one, or are preparing for your wedding day, you can discover the true meaning of rest and relaxation at The Ritz-Carlton, Denver Day Spa.

Our downtown Denver hotel's full-service spa offers a variety of calming therapies -- massages, wraps, manicures, pedicures, facials and more -- all to delight and enliven your senses. Rejuvenating treatments are performed with the finest skin and body care products in a warm, welcoming environment featuring contemporary decor and total sensory stimulation. Slip into a tranquil state-of-mind under the gentle, caring hands of your expert specialist in one of our eight inviting treatment rooms.

For the ultimate in luxury spa experiences, discover The Ritz-Carlton Spa package*. Starting at $319 USD per night and valid through December 31, 2011"

Wellness in Asia: Keeping employees healthy makes good business sense

Keeping Employees and Businesses Healthy | Nutrition.Diet News: "More than 40 percent of employees at mid-sized businesses1 report that having a wellness program offered by their employer would or does encourage them to work harder and perform better according to a recent Principal Financial Well-Being IndexSM. To meet the demand, The Principal® introduces a new wellness program designed specifically for mid-sized businesses.

Keeping employees healthy makes good business sense
“We know that with wellness one size doesn’t necessarily fit all, which is why we’ve taken a different approach for midsize businesses,” said Lee Dukes, president of Principal Wellness Company, a subsidiary of the Principal Financial Group®. “Our programs for these businesses contain many of the features available to large companies, but are flexible enough to still meet the specific needs of these businesses at an affordable cost.”"