Do It Gorgeously: Clueless or Crafty Quiz

Do It Gorgeously: Clueless or Crafty Quiz

Wellness Training

Revenues for the industry held at $23.8 billion in 2009, only off 2008’s pace by 1.5 percent. When you consider the recession, the high unemployment rate and the massive numbers of foreclosures and loan defaults, that’s not a horrible statistic, according to industry expert (www.slimandfit.com) and former 8 Minute Abs guru Jaime Brenkus. In fact, he even knows why the industry is reasonably healthy amid a weak and floundering economy.

“It’s called wellness,” Brenkus said. “The industry, as a whole, is shifting its focus from just getting well-defined and fit toward the more general concept of wellness. As people are losing jobs and losing health benefits, they are realizing it is much less expensive to invest in their wellness than it is to pay for doctor visits when they get sick. If people are fit and healthy, they are far less prone to succumb to whatever bug is going around. That’s money in the bank for a lot of people, and they get to enjoy a better quality of life, as well.”

Brenkus understands that paradigm well, as he is also behind a chain of health clubs called Slim & Fit, which has combined the functions of personal training with the weight loss counseling and meals usually associated with outfits like Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers. Brenkus is currently expanding into new markets around the country, and is already seeing the difference in the members who join.

“With a lot of people, they’ll join a gym, and go religiously for a few weeks, and then disappear, and they never get the value out of their membership,” he said. “Our members have a high usage rate, because we’re not just about making them fit with a personal training program, but we’re also about making them fit with our diet program. We’re trying to deliver wellness, not just muscles, and that’s the trend that kept the industry from tanking during the recession.”

Brenkus also thinks that there is another non-traditional health club clientele that could benefit from exercise and diet counseling -- children.

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Sensitive Skin, Four Types

Sensitive skin affects millions of people, but the exact definition varies depending on who you ask. Dermatologist Leslie Baumann, MD, FAAD, director of the University of Miami's Cosmetic Medicine & Research Institute and professor of dermatology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, reports that in her practice up to 50 percent of patients have some form of sensitive skin. According to Dr. Baumann, there are four distinct types of sensitive skin — acne, rosacea, burning and stinging, and contact dermatitis (allergies and irritants) — and they all have one characteristic in common: inflammation.

Skin care products marketed for sensitive skin do not specify for which type of sensitive  skin they work best — such as acne or rosacea.

         For example, a product for an acne patient is very different from a product for a rosacea patient. But, both products will be labeled for use with sensitive skin.

         Manufacturers of skin care products cannot make any specific drug claims for treating conditions such as acne or rosacea. Therefore, "sensitive skin" has become a "catch-all" category for these products.

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B Vitamin May Decrease Heart Risk

A Japanese study has found that dietary intakes of folate and vitamin B6 reduces the risk of dying cardiovascular disease in females and may lower the risk for heart disease in men.

The researchers analyzed data from over 23,000 men and over 35,600 women, ages 40 to 79, who answered food frequency questionnaires. When the study subjects were followed up at a median of 14 years, researchers found that 986 participants died from stroke, 424 died from coronary heart disease and 2,087 died from any cardiovascular disease. The analysis also showed that higher levels of folate and vitamin B6 were associated with significantly fewer deaths from heart failure in men and significantly fewer deaths from stroke, heart disease and any cardiovascular diseases in women. Intake of vitamin B12 did not show a reduction in mortality risk.

The researchers speculated that consumption of higher levels of folate and vitamin B6 might be heart protective because they reduce levels of homocysteine (an amino acid)  in the blood. Studies have shown that too excess homocysteine is related to a higher risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements, clinical trials are underway to test whether dietary supplements with folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 decreases homocysteine levels and reduces coronary heart disease risk. Some studies are also showing a link between low blood levels of folate and higher rates of breast, pancreatic and colon cancers.

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By Jo Cavallo 

Reviewed by QualityHealth's Medical Advisory Board