Are Doctors Writing Prescriptions for Fruits and Vegetables?

Fresh produce program gains momentum in weight-loss fight By Christine S. Moyer More doctors are writing prescriptions for a proven weight-loss treatment with no negative side effects — fresh vegetables and fruits. The initiative, known as the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program, was started by the Connecticut-based nonprofit Wholesome Wave in 2010. The organization aims to improve access and affordability of fresh, locally grown produce to underserved communities. The program targets overweight and obese children…

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Health Care: Employers Encourage Healthy Lifestyles with Penalties and Rewards

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA How do companies curb health care costs? Do healthier employees lead to increased productivity?  Several progressive companies believe so and have committed to providing employees with programs to help engage them in a healthier lifestyle. As part of the incentives to lead a healthier lifestyle some employers have instituted a penalty and reward system tied to the companies’ benefits.  For example, smokers may incur a significant surcharge to the…

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How to Repair and Sustain Relationships

Guest Post by Walter E. Jacobson, M.D. Practice forgiveness, acceptance, compassion, consideration, graciousness and generosity. Turn the other cheek. Treat others as you wish to be treated. Try to avoid getting defensive and angry. Give the benefit of the doubt. Don’t assume the worst. Don’t assume your partner did what they did to intentionally hurt you. There is always the possibility that it was a thoughtless comment, that they did not mean what they said…

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Heart Disease in Women: Ladies, Love Your Heart All Year Long

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Featured in USATODAY.com | Grand Rounds – Health Tips American Heart Month may be officially over, but don’t let the lack of media attention fool you into thinking heart disease isn’t a critical issue. We still need to be mindful of the fact that heart disease is the number one killer of women. There are simple lifestyle choices you can make to help prevent you from heart disease. I…

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Q&A with Tara Stiles: Yoga Instructor to Deepak Chopra

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA “When your mind starts to wander to your thoughts try to guide your attention back to your breath. This is the practice. Our thoughts will probably never disappear, but we can become more aware of them and guide our focus back to our breath.” -Tara Stiles Tara Stiles, my colleague at The Huffington Post, and author of “Slim Calm Sexy,” star of “Yoga Anywhere” DVD series, yoga expert for…

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