Health News for the Week of 7/14/08

This week's health news round-up is about things that are bad (and good) for you. I didn't plan it that way, it just sort of happened.

• This is not a joke: NASA needs urine. And they need lots of it.

• Chlorine is both good and bad for us. It acts as a sterilizing agent, but it reacts with organic material to form compounds that can hurt us. The moral: don't let your kids pee in the pool.

• A study in the UK suggests that food additives make kids hyperactive. The things we put in our food have been blamed for a lot these days, and maybe rightly so.

• Even hyperactive kids may become sluggish teens. This is one of several articles I've read this week that said kids suddenly slow down when they become teenagers. According to the study mentioned, lack of exercise can carry over into adulthood.

• On to things that are good for you. The Times Online has a list of 10 things that are surprisingly good for you. Some are well known (like chocolate and red wine), but some really are surprising, like stress. Even more surprising is a list of 6 snacks that are actually good for you. Who knew that pork rinds were healthy? Not me, that's for sure!

• While you're chomping down on the pork rinds, why not take 5 minutes to give yourself a massage? Massaging yourself (especially your head and feet) can have great benefits. makes sense to me.
  

Here's hoping you stay healthy this week. Take some time out for a massage and to stop and smell the pork rinds.